Stay With Me
by K'ger
Summary: In a land of where history is written in blood and angry ghosts haunt the land as shadows of the past, the spirit of a heartbroken sorcerous wages war on the Goddesses, cursed by the stolen power that flows within her. When Link is dragged unwillingly into the cursed land of Termina, he is thrust into the battle, not for the kingdom, but his family, and their very existence.
1. Stolen Hearts

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda. If I did I would make Tingle have a twin. Thought there was nothing worse than a Tingle? How about TWO Tingles!**

**K'ger: Ok, Sequel! WOO! I get to spend another six months slaving over my computer for something I'm not gonna get paid for! (Don't worry, I enjoy this) Anyway, I hope you like this.**

**Sorry if I confused anyone by posting it a few days ago, I was excited, and it was late at night...**

**And Ocharlos and Twiliwolf13, thank you for bringing up Malikai, to be utterly frank...I forgot...but I will talk about him in this story.**

**WARNING! **

**This chapter, (And the story in general, actually) is going to be dark. Also, this chapter in particular contains major-league gore, character death, and the non-descriptive birth of a foal. Read at your own risk.**

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><p>Part One: Denial<p>

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><p>Stolen Hearts<p>

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><p>"…Ah…"a cracking, feminine voice hissed, her tone echoing against the cold masonry walls of her prison cell. Deep crimson eyes the shade of blood cracked open from years of disuse, thick lashes framing the angled, almond shaped irises. "…I have company…"<p>

Bones creaked and popped as she rose to her feet, as if it was the first time in months. She ran her tongue over the surface of her lips, wetting the parched skin, and opened her eyes again, taking in her cell. She walked over to the iron door that confined her, and ran her slender fingers along the metal doorframe, as if searching for an inlet, a weakness, a means of escape.

She released a warm breath through her mouth, steadying her hands on the higher of the two hinges.

"**_…_****_Pando, O Principo_**," she breathed, her voice a raspy whisper dripping with venomous hatred for her confinement. "**_…_****_Libera te_** **_tutemet-!_**"

From the other side of the iron door, a velvety smooth voice murmured.

"**_…_****_Expergiscimini et furor, O odibilem…_**"

Her fingers momentarily bounced away from the metal, as if being pushed away by an invisible force. She ground her teeth together, and pushed her fingers back toward the metal, forcing them to touch, and she let loose a shriek of laughter. Her voice was drowned out by an earsplitting bang, and looking onward, she smiled condescendingly at the open space where the door once had been. The hinges still clung to the doorway, attached to the wall and nothing more.

She strode out confidently into the dark, foreboding hallway beyond, snarling a warning at a few curious rats that had scurried over to investigate. The rats squeaked and retreated, but not before she snatched one up by the tail and leered into its beady yellow eyes.

Strangely, there was no one to be seen in the hallway, the voice had belonged to someone, and yet she couldn't see them.

"I'm so hungry…" She hissed, smiling again and this time revealing her pointed canines. In one fluid motion, she threw the rat into the air, and swallowed it whole, sighing at the satisfying sensation of food in her stomach as she strode into the shroud of darkness that was the Shadow Temple.

"It's time for a feast!"

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><p>A hot summer breeze blew gently across Hyrule field, carrying the scent of hay and fresh flower blossoms and cooling the otherwise sweltering heat of midday. On the sprawling compound of Lon Lon Ranch, horses whinnied and sighed in the heat, taking refuse under the massive oak trees that were scattered through the main pasture.<p>

Amid the gentle sounds of resting horses and songbirds twittering to their mates, a long, low groan reverberated from within the barn. Link opened the door to Epona's stall, carrying a bucket of water in one hand, and a bundle of blankets and towels in the other. The big red mare lifted her head from the thick bed of straw, sweat dripping down her long neck, causing several strands of her white mane to stick together.

Link set the bucket down, and slung the towels over the stall door. He moved over to Epona, kneeling in the straw and gave his attention to the foal that had obviously been born mere seconds before he entered the stall. He quickly broke the birth sack open, and set about cleaning out the foal's nose and mouth with gentle fingers, ensuring that it's airways were open and it could breath freely.

He then grabbed a towel and started to clean off the excess fluid, revealing that the foal would be a beautiful mahogany color, a few lighter hairs peppering its back and haunches. He left the umbilical cord alone as he cleaned, knowing that breaking it too early could endanger both mare and foal, and instead rubbed his hands over the foal's head, rousing it, and smiling when it gave a tiny, meek little whinny.

Epona lifted her head from the straw again at the sound, and swung her neck around so that she could reach her foal. Link stood, and, again being careful of the cord, lifted the foal up and moved it closer to the mare's side. She immediately began to nuzzle the newborn, making soft noises from deep in her throat.

He backed away, leaning back against the stall door. He turned his head when gentle fingers brushed along the back of his arm, and smiled as Malon leaned around him and stared down at Epona and her new foal.

"Is it a filly? Or a colt?" She asked in a hushed tone, leaning her shoulder against his side.

"I haven't looked too hard, but I'm pretty sure it's a filly." He responded, looking first at the foal, and then to Malon. Both adults looked out of the stall when the barn door creaked open, and two young children came bounding inside, fits of laughter following them closely behind.

The first to enter was a girl, probably about six years old, with medium-length strawberry-blonde hair that had been tied into a tight braid behind her head. Racing along after her was a boy, closer to the age of three or four. His hair was nearer to a light shade of red, and was just as messy and unkempt as Link's. They both scrambled over to Malon, the little girl dancing around her feet while the boy clung to Malon's legs.

"What'cha doin' mommy?" The little girl asked in a bubbly laugh, standing up on her tiptoes and trying to look over the stall door. She was just a tad too short, and could only catch a glimpse of the top of Epona's head.

"Here," Link said, pulling away from the door and letting it swing open wide enough for both children to peer inside. The little girl gave a small, joyful squeak as soon as her eyes caught sight of the foal, and the boy stared at it unsurely.

They both watched with excitement as the foal stretched its gangly legs out in front of it and pushed upward, standing up shakily. After only a moment, it plopped back down onto its knees, giving a soft, breathy sigh as it folded its legs inward.

Epona stood from her place on the stall floor, and moved over to the bucket of water that Link had brought in with him, lowering her head and taking hearty drinks of the warmed liquid. Again, it was another trick-of-the-trade among horse people that you always offered the mare a bucket of warm water after the foaling. It was easier on the mare's stressed body to drink lukewarm water than cold, and the touch of molasses that had been added helped to energize.

Upon lifting her head, the mare pressed her muzzle against Link's shoulder, breath ghosting over his skin. He gently rubbed a hand over the bridge of her nose, whispering a few encouraging words to her and watching as she pulled away, reaching down and nuzzling her foal.

Malon moved over to stand on the other side of the stall door, leaning against Link and watching the newborn filly as she tried yet again to stand. She pushed up onto her tiny hooves, legs wavering beneath her frame, but as she gained her footing, she took a few shaky steps, making her way over to her mother.

Malon gave a soft cheer as the filly reached up under Epona, suckling for the first time and getting the valuable antibodies she needed for a healthy start in life. But as they watched the foal, Epona threw her head up, frightened, and the foal slumped back down to the floor when a gigantic commotion came from outside the barn. Both children yelped, and immediately took shelter behind their parents' legs.

"What is that?" Link breathed, carefully pulling out from in front of the little boy and striding out of the stall, quick steps taking him down the isle and out of the barn. Malon gently ushered both children out of the stall as well, and with a final check to make sure the foal was alright, closed the stall door and headed out after Link.

She blinked in the bright sunshine, her eyes took a moment to adjust to the difference, and as her vision came back to her with clarity, she saw that the compound was still in one piece. The pasture fence was still intact, and the house was still standing. What had caused the ruckus?

She quickly jogged over to Link, who was standing near the east-facing wall, staring up at the sky. She followed his gaze, and her heart skipped a beat. A thick plume of white smoke was swirling up into the sky, partially blocking out the sun as it spread across the horizon.

Fire was bad news in the middle of summer. It had been close to a month since the last rain, and the grass was dry as tinder, and would feed a fire like nothing else. It could overtake the entire sprawling field within hours if the fire came their way.

Link stared up at the plume, and, noticing that he was standing next to one of the tall oak trees, dodged over to it and started climbing. He climbed quickly, until he could see over the wall.

"It's coming from the forest!" He called, taking one last look at the plume of smoke that was towering over the verdant expanse beyond and swinging back down.

"From the forest? What happened? What about the estate?" Malon asked, looking between Link and the plume. He shook his head softly, and strode back toward the barn, entering the darker area and quickly grabbing a saddle from the tack area.

"Link? Wait, what are you doing?" Malon asked, following closely behind him, a suspicious tilt to her head. He opened the door to one of the other horses' stalls, and quickly started to saddle the horse within.

His second choice of horses to ride, seeing that Epona was taken, was one of the two stallions they owned, a smaller gray horse Malon called Tau. It was a much different experience than riding Epona, there was no connection with this horse, and he tended to be a bit hot-tempered, choosing to do as he wished and requiring a stronger hand to control. But he was fast, and could go longer distances than the other mares.

He tightened the cinch around the stallion's midsection, and took a bridle from the peg outside his stall, slipping it over the horse's head and fastening it securely.

"I have to go and see." He said, checking the straps one last time and leading the stallion out into the isle. Malon's expression turned to one of sudden fear. A sense of terrible foreboding washed over her, and she suddenly took a hold of his arm, a fierce intensity swirling in the pools of her irises.

"No! Link, do you remember all those years ago? Every single time you left on your own, you would end up nearly dying!" She said desperately, staring up into his eyes. The determined smile he had been sporting faded, and he leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss to her forehead.

"I have to check, the estate is out there, I have to make sure dad, Saria, Malikai and the others are alright." He responded, hugging her for a few seconds, and then leading the stallion out of the barn.

Malon looked toward the hay pile, where the two children were playing, laughing in ignorant bliss.

"Kara! Rinku! Come on, its time for lunch." She called, walking slowly toward the door after making sure that they were following. Upon reaching the outside, she saw that Link had mounted the stallion, and was heading out of the front gate.

The little girl noticed this immediately, and tugged on the skirt of her mother's simple blue dress.

"Momma, where's daddy goin'?" She asked in a sweet, innocent voice, looking up at Malon with huge blue eyes. She smiled down at the little girl, a fake smile she hoped would fool her.

"He's just going to visit your grandpa…"

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><p>Link rode quickly toward the forest, urging the stallion to continue as the scent of smoke became thicker and more cloying. He steered Tau easily through the thick underbrush, knowing the route to the estate and guessing that he could reach the place blind.<p>

The air around him became thick with smoke as he ventured deeper, clouding his vision and making him fear that he would loose his sense of direction. But it only took a few minutes to reach the crest of a hill just before the sprawling estate, and a terrible scene was laid out before him.

The estate was destroyed. The beautiful stained glass windows that had adorned every wall had been shattered, and the walls torn down. Embers sparked on the wood like tinder and kindling, and sent glowing specks into the hazy grayness that was swirling around.

"What the hell…" He breathed, rasping voice drawling off. He kicked the stallion forward, urging him down the steep decline and toward the destruction. His face was set firmly in a consistent look of shock and fear. Where was everyone? Where they all dead?

As they made their way carefully over the rubble, the stallion suddenly stopped dead in his tracks, ears flicking forward, twitching and muscles tightening beneath him. The stallion stared straight ahead, whites showing up on the corners of his eyes. Link looked ahead as well, and his stomach nearly dropped out from underneath him.

Wordlessly, eyes glued to the spot that the stallion was staring, he slipped from the horse's back, thick leather boots thudding on the rubble. He carefully crossed the area, staring at the limp, lifeless body before him.

Aldric, his father, was dead. He was lying over the rubble. He was holding something small, which glittered like gold, in his hands, ridged fingers clasped tightly around the object. His face was drawn with the pain he had felt, and Link felt like he was going to vomit when he saw what had killed him.

The older man's thick leather tunic had been ripped away from his chest, leaving it bare, and where his heart should be, an empty hole remained, bloody trails snaking over the remainder of his unharmed chest and staining the ground where he lay.

His heart had literally been cut out.

He had never regained the kind of relationship he had had with his father as a child, but over the past six years, he had rekindled it somewhat, making this all the more painful. He reached forward with shaking hands, fingers wrapping around his father's icy hands and prying them open.

Within, he found that his father was clutching a golden Triforce pendant. It was the one that he had always worn underneath his tunic, but apparently, the clasp had broken, which was why he had been holding it. He had never gone anywhere without the pendant.

After putting the pendant in a pouch at his hip, and traced the wound on his father's chest, fighting his emotions.

"Looking for something?" A cold, feminine voice hissed, an unfamiliar voice to Link's ears and quite unwelcome. He jerked away, staggering to his feet and staring into the haze. Two glowing red irises appeared from beyond the veil of smoke, and he gulped softly as a woman approached.

She was tall, easily as tall as him, if not taller, with matted black hair the shade of a raven's feathers. She strode effortlessly, gracefully over the rubble, and stopped mere feet away from him, a condescending smile on her lips. She licked her lips, bright red blood was covering them, pooling on her chin in large droplets and dripping onto her scantily clad chest. She wore a long purple dress, one that left her shoulders and a good portion of her chest bare, and was cut up one side, allowing her more flexibility.

As he glared at her, he suddenly realized why blood was dripping from her mouth, and he seriously felt sick.

"Oh, poor little man. What's wrong?" She cooed, raising her right hand to the air and pressing thumb and forefinger together, snapped them together. The stallion reared up, throwing back his head and giving a scream of fright before bolting, stumbling over the rubble and disappearing beyond the haze.

He watched her, and his chest contracted involuntarily as several more pairs of glowing red eyes appeared from the mist. The other people she had summoned were men, tall as well, with black hair the shade of a moonless night and malice glinting in their eyes.

A sudden severe pain filled his upper, left arm, followed closely by an intense burning sensation. He over, and cringed when he saw a large dart was lodged in his arm. The group laughed at his perplexed expression, and the woman wiped the blood from her mouth as he wrenched the dart from his flesh, giving a small groan as the pointed needle dragged through his skin.

Looking closer at the group, he found that they were shadows. He could tell by the blood-red shades of their irises. Why were shadows here? Why had they attacked the estate and killed everyone? And why did the woman look familiar?

He couldn't reason with any of these questions. His mind started to feel like a clingy, cloying fog was settling over it, clogging his thought process and making him feel like he was off balance, like he was going to fall over at any moment.

"Mistress, should I-?" One of the shadows started, moving toward him with a knife in hand and teeth glistening with saliva as he smiled toothily at him. The woman flung her hand out, stopping him before he could take another step.

"No, Chesed. Leave him be, the poison will kill him soon enough." She said calmly.

"But Lore-"

"Back down, Chesed. I would watch my tongue if I were you, or would you rather end up like that one there?" She hissed dangerously, pointing toward Aldric's body and putting a bloodied hand on the shadow's chest, long fingernails tapping against his skin, clawing at where his heart rested beneath. He looked first toward Aldric, and then backed away quickly, eyes widening at her insinuation.

Link suddenly lost balance, and dropped to his knees, still glaring at the shadowy group.

"We've gotten the ones we needed, and killed the ones we don't. Lets go, Her Grace is waiting for us in Ikana, and she won't take kindly to us if we're late." The woman said finally, turning her back to him and leading the shadows back into the haze without another word.

The rush of blood in his ears was deafening, and it took only a moment more before he couldn't even sit up straight. He slumped backward onto the ground, heart pounding painfully against his ribcage, and his vision blurred, mere seconds before he fell unconscious...

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><p><strong>K'ger: There you go, chapter one is up. I hope everyone likes this story, and don't worry, there will still be fluff, and happy stuff, and, oh, I dunno, hope, in the upcoming chapters.<strong>

**Here's a bit of an explanation on why this chapter was a far cry from SIG:**

**Well, as you all know, the holidays are approaching, and apparently, my extended family decided it would be fun to stay at OUR house because there are real live farm animals and open space. Well, I have SEVEN younger cousins, and guess who gets to babysit the little bra...I mean angels for the whole week? Me. So I've been kinda tired and worn out lately. Thank the gods they've all gone back to the city...Whew...**

**I just had to set the stage.**

**Also, I don't own the cover art. Cover art is by Adella on DeviantART. She's a great artist and I love her MaLink stuff especially! **

**(Longest authors note ever. Sorry!)**

**you know the drill, R&R.**


	2. The Caravan

Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda. (No curses at the moment. Sorry)

**K'ger: Second chapter! Yay! I'm excited to introduce these new characters.**

**Also, Shout out to Link'sLily, Foyet-The-Reaper, & Don'tKillMe32! Thank you all!**

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><p>The Caravan<p>

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><p>"We don't need more cargo than we already have."<p>

"Mistress Fala says we bring him, are you questioning her authority?" Another voice inquired, tone harsh and questioning. He opened his eyes tiredly, unsure of what exactly was going on. What had happened? The sky above him was a clear cerulean blue, soft clouds lazily drifting across the surface.

Where was he?

"But we don't even know if he's what her client is looking for!" The first voice pressed further, pitch rising slightly. He experimentally balled his hands into fists, and then released them. There was some kind of resistance, like something was holding his arms close to his body. With some struggle, he pushed himself upright, and his eyes widened, not comprehending what he was seeing.

He wasn't in the forest, instead all around him a massive field stretched as far as the eye could see, long yellow grass billowing in the wind like waves on the ocean. Where the field ended, the sky began, and in the farthest distance, he could faintly see something tall, a man-made structure of some kind. It looked like a tower.

Closer to him, a half a dozen wagons were scattered, white canvas covers' stretching tight on the wagons' frames in the wind. Massive horses were hitched to each of the wagons, two each, with grayish-black coats splattered with white markings all over their bodies. Their manes were longer than any he had ever seen, hanging down to their chests on both sides of their necks, and their huge hooves were all but obscured by the thick plumes of feathering that adorned their hocks.

They were easily the most beautiful horses he had ever seen, even more beautiful than Epona.

Large brass bells were attached to their harnesses, catching the sun's bright yellow rays and glinting, giving off faint golden glows and jingling as the horses shifted and pranced.

"Don't push your luck, Asami. Mistress Fala is our leader, and we're here to serve her." The other voice snarled, startling Link. He whipped his head around, and saw that two people were standing behind him. They both had their backs to him, one was a woman, with long golden-brown hair that cascaded down her back in a mass of tightly curled ringlets. The other was a man, his dark brown hair was cropped short, hanging just above his rounded ears. They weren't Hylians.

He stiffened when they both turned their heads, and their eyes met his.

"Oh, look. He's awake." The woman said, a devious look curling across her lips.

Link tried to stand up, pushing against the ground with his feet, but something stopped him. He glanced toward the ground, and found that he was tied. Thick ropes were wrapped around his wrists, binding them together and keeping him on the ground.

"What the hell?" He hissed, struggling against the stake that kept him grounded. The woman gave a soft laugh as he strained against the ropes, and the man walked away, heading for one of the wagons.

A few minutes later, he emerged again, stopping a few feet away. Another woman stepped gracefully of the wagon after him. This woman was a little shorter than the one that was standing over him, with long, wavy brown hair. A blue scarf was wrapped around her head, keeping her hair in place and tied together at the front with an amethyst pendant. Over her chest and midsection, she wore a billowy azure blouse, with spiraling red patterns across her sleeves, and underneath a skirt swirled gracefully around her ankles.

A dusky spread of green rested atop her eyelids, framing her eyes, which glinted like liquid silver. She walked over to him, stopping mere feet away, and leaned forward, eyes taking in every inch of his face.

"Who're you?" Link growled, setting his jaw defiantly. The woman laughed gently at him, and he stiffened when she ran a silken hand across his cheek, donning a seductive grin.

"You'll do well," she said in an elegant, husky voice. "My client will pay double for you."

He gave her a questioning look, not realizing what she was insinuating for a moment.

"Wait, what do you mean?" He asked as it dawned on him. She laughed again, and swept a hand across his hair, slender fingers playing with a few golden locks.

"_I mean_, that you're my paycheck."

"This is wrong!" He said, snarling, voice rising.

"There really is no rest for the wicked, as they say. I have mouths to feed, and you're quite the catch. Its nothing personal," she responded, smiling at his angered expression. "Our careers go by many names. Thieves, paid companions, slave traders, nothing can keep us tethered, we just float around the world, doing as we please and making a little cash on the side."

"And if someone 'buys' me, what will they use me for?"

She smiled, and walked a few feet away, reaching out and stroking on of the horses' necks.

"What my client chooses to do with you is not my concern. As long as I get my money, I'm happy. You look strong, they'll probably use you for labor, although, you aren't a bad looking boy, they might use you for entertainment. It's not my place to ask."

She turned to the man, and nodded softly.

"Get this one into the cart." She commanded, jabbing a thumb at one of the wagons. He gasped when he felt someone's hands grab at his, and he was hefted roughly to his feet. The woman held tight to his wrists, bending his arms violently and sending searing pain jolting through his muscles. He was pushed forcefully toward the wagon, and gasped when the woman shoved him inside, closing the door after him.

He could hear a soft click, and knew that she had locked the door. He was stuck inside. Looking around, he found that the inside of the wagon was all but barren of any furniture, and the only source of light came from a barred window near the rounded ceiling. Naturally, he had been locked into the one wagon that had solid walls, which provided no means of escape.

Soft yellow sunlight filtered in from between the iron bars of the window, casting strangely shaped shadows on the wooden floor of the wagon, and just as he stepped forward, and stopped short, realizing that he wasn't alone.

Two people were sitting against the wall, faces obscured by the shadows. Link gave a startled cry as the wagon suddenly surged into motion, and he was thrown off his feet, falling forward and landing on his chest.

"Hey, mister, are you ok?" A voice asked, youthful, with a tone of concern. He looked up from the floor, and found that one of the people had moved slightly, leaving their face visible. It was a boy, probably in his mid-teens, fifteen or sixteen years old, with shaggy black hair that hung loosely below his ears.

"I'm fine, thanks." Link muttered, pulling himself up into a sitting position on the floor.

They sat in silence for a few moments, merely listening as the wagon creaked and the wheels rattled outside.

"My name's Benjamin, but everyone calls me Benji. What's yours?" The boy asked, looking at him curiously.

"Link." He answered somewhat gruffly, looking toward the window, yearning for the freedom beyond, and feeling a bit claustrophobic. After years of working outside with the fresh air and open space of the ranch, confined spaces were not his favorite.

He cautiously glanced back at the boy. Were these people really going to sell a teenage boy? It was bad enough that they had kidnapped him, but he was an adult, to kidnap and have the intent to sell off a minor on the slave market was disgusting.

The other person that was sitting next to Benji shifted slightly when he moved, and revealed that it was a girl. She was younger than Benji, his best guess was eleven or twelve years old. Her hair was long and wavy, and hung all the way toward the small of her back. A simple white dress clung to her form, and staring at him, she hugged her knees, sparkling green eyes glinting with fear.

Benji caught Link's gaze, and looked toward the girl for a moment.

"And this is my sister, Annalise."

Noticing the girl's frightened expression, he gave her a bright, calming smile. She softened slightly, but the fear remained.

Benji leaned closer to Link, lowering his voice so that only he could hear.

"She's um…she's," he stammered for a moment, searching for the right word. "She's got…issues."

Link raised an eyebrow, head tilting to one slightly in interest and curiosity.

"Issues?" He asked in a low whisper, watching as the boy nodded.

"She's kind of…special, we'll say. If anyone but me touches her, she breaks down."

They went silent for a few minutes when the wagon bumped, throwing them all off balance.

"Why is that?"

Benji looked toward his sister with a caring smile, reaching toward her and patting her knee. When he returned his gaze to Link, a fiery anger had suddenly found its way into the green pools of his irises.

"Let's just say that our childhoods' weren't…conventional. Our father was abusive, and our mother was never around to stop him. She was a traveler, moving all over the world, and when she finally did come back from her traipsing, it was only because she was in a casket."

The wagon bumped again, and was followed by the loud clopping sounds of horses' hooves on a hard surface, like cobblestones. Link stood carefully, putting his arms out to balance himself, and made his way over to the barred window, grabbing onto the bars for support.

Outside, he could see that the caravan had taken to a wide cobblestone road. He had no idea where this road had come from, or where it was headed, but in the distance, he could see a huge, most likely man-made structure. It was tall, reaching toward the sky like a tower, and all around it, massive walls guarded it from below.

As the wagon moved toward the tower, details started to become clear, and he found that the tower wasn't just a tower. It was a clock tower.

"We're almost there, aren't we?" Benji asked from his place on the floor, looking up at Link with a reserved expression.

"Almost where?"

A rueful smile crossed Benji's lips.

"We're almost to Clock Town…"

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><p>Five huge black horses sped across the barren landscape, hooves sending up large plumes of dust in their wakes. On their backs, five people rode, one woman, and four men, all with hair as black as the horses they rode. The sky was a perpetual, gloomy overcast, swirling with a foreboding aura that would have unnerved anyone but the current travelers.<p>

The horses galloped agilely up a steep incline, passing by the dilapidated remains of a long-dry river. They continued, following a switchback path that led high into the mountains, soon entering a dark, natural tunnel that went on for about a hundred feet.

The riders slowed their horses to easy trots when they exited the tunnel. Before them, a huge tower stood, massive walls adorned with colorful murals that made the structure look like a monster, gigantic maw serving as the entrance.

Standing in front of the entrance was a tall figure, ratty leather cloaks obscured all but the glowing orbs of his eyes, and underneath, it could be seen that the figure was holding tight to the hilts of two long swords, blades glinting in the strange light that was filtering through the overcast sky.

"Greetings, Garo Master." The woman said in a silver-tongued voice, riding up to the figure.

"Did you bring them?" The figure said in a gravelly voice, looking toward the horses.

"Three Hylians and one Gerudo. As promised." She responded, turning her horse slightly to one side, revealing that there was a young woman, tied and slung, unconscious over her horse's haunches.

Three more people were slung over some of the other horses, and the woman smirked in content as the figure stepped aside, allowing her and the others' access to the temple.

"Proceed. Her Grace is waiting for you…"


	3. Slaves' Mark

**K'ger: Ok, well, I've said it once, and I'm gonna say it again. This chapter is...disturbing. Really, I'm starting to question my mental state. Silence is Golden was fluffy and cutsey, this story is...dark. So far at least. you've been warned, and I have to important things to talk about at the bottom.**

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><p>Slaves' Mark<p>

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><p>"Mommy, what's a Licky Licky?" Kara asked from the floor. She and her brother were laying on their stomachs, pouring with wide eyes over a heavily illustrated book that Jack had given them both for Mid-Winter. Malon smiled softly, and knelt beside her daughter, looking at the page of the book she was reading.<p>

On the page, an inked picture rested, depicting a strange, cylindrical mass of squishy flesh. She read the description underneath, and gave a soft laugh.

"It's a Like Like, not a Licky Licky, dear. It's a monster that lives near water." She said, smiling, ruffling the little girl's strawberry-blonde hair with a gentle hand as she stood. She moved over to the kitchen, and after rolling up her sleeves, started to wash the leftover dishes from the dinner they had finished earlier.

She jolted when the front door opened, hinges betraying the person's entrance with loud squeaking sounds. Oh, I guess Link never got around to oiling those before he left.

Kara and Rinku both leapt to their feet immediately, crying out in excitement and running toward the two people who had entered, scrabbling against their legs, laughing.

"Oh, hi Jack, McKenna." Malon said, smiling. Finishing up her washing, Malon walked over and greeted her friends, hugging both of them before reaching down and bringing Rinku into her arms when he uttered a great yawn.

"Can you excuse me for a moment? It's the children's bedtime."

Jack and McKenna nodded, and watched as she took a yawning Kara by the hand and lead both children upstairs to their bedroom. McKenna moved over to one of the chairs and sat down with a sigh, while Jack strolled, hands clasped behind his back and eyes wandering the floor.

He stopped when he caught sight of the book that still lay open on the floor, and reaching down, he brought the book into his hands and began to thumb through with amusement.

"Huh, I guess this was a good present, looks like they like it." He muttered, smiling as he perused the pages. A few minutes later, Malon came out of the bedroom, closing the door with a soft click behind her and making her way down the stairs.

"Malon, Blondie hasn't come back yet…has he?" McKenna stated quietly, looking at her with a concerned expression. Malon shook her head, and moved over to one of the windows, staring out at the black velvet sky. The view from this window brought back her hope, if she could see the moon, then Link could too. Wherever he was.

She and both of her houseguests jumped when someone else knocked on the door.

"Who could that be at this hour of night?" She breathed, striding over to the front door and peering through the peephole. Standing on the other side was a man. He was short, with his hair shaved down to bare stubble, and over his head he wore a strange, red and white hat that matched the uniform he wore. Strapped to his back, he had a banner that read "Inter-regional mail".

She opened the door, eyebrows raised as she met the gaze of the strange man on her doorstep.

"Uh…hello? Can I help you?" She asked, looking at the shorter man with a tired expression. McKenna stood from her chair, and taking a hold of Jack's arm, she followed him over to the door, curious and eager to catch a glimpse of their late-night visitor.

"Would you happen to know a Mrs. Malon Escorlan?" The man asked, his voice startling when first being heard. It was high pitched, with a very un-masculine tone to it, but Malon shook herself of the shock that assaulted her at first, quickly answering him.

"That would be me."

"Oh, of course ma'am!" He yelped, reaching into a satchel at his hip and rummaging through, searching for something particular. After a few tense moments, he sighed and produced an envelope. The corners were bent, and the return address was smudged, but Malon found that the paper inside was still intact, as she ripped the envelope open with agile fingers.

But as she read the first few words, she looked up, and found that the postman was still standing on her doorstep.

"Um…is there anything else I can do for you?" She asked awkwardly, holding the letter in her hands and looking at him with an unsure gaze. It seemed to take him a moment to realize what she meant, and then a sheepish look crossed his youthful features.

"O-Oh! R-r-right! Of course!" He gasped, quickly turning away and bolting out the front gates without another word. Malon shook her head softly, and continued reading the letter. Jack and McKenna watched, occasionally exchanging nervous glances when Malon remained silent, and when she took a look, McKenna's eyes widened.

Malon was still staring at the letter with wide eyes, mouth slightly agape as she looked at the paper in her hands.

"Hey," Jack said softly, pulling away from McKenna and moving over to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "What's wrong?"

She swallowed roughly, closing her eyes and letting her head tip back. A few tears slipped down her cheeks.

"My sister just passed away…"

* * *

><p>The wagon stopped. Link looked up, startled by the sudden stillness. Benji and Annalise were still asleep against the wall, Annalise resting her head against her brother's shoulder. He stood up when he heard a soft click sound, and turned, narrowing his eyes when the door swung open.<p>

The two wanderers from before were standing there, ropes hanging from their hands. He took a few steps back, but failed to escape what was coming for him. The woman lunged forward, grabbing him by the shoulders and restraining him by holding one arm tightly, bending it in an obscure way that made the bones pop. He gave a soft yelp and softened, relinquishing his need to fight for sheer pain relief.

The next thing he knew, the ropes had been tied tightly around his torso, binding his arms behind him and wrapping around his wrists for good measure. He was dragged out of the wagon, and thrown onto a nearby stool.

Glancing around, he found that the caravan had entered the city. Huge, brown brick walls surrounded him whichever way he looked, and looming over them, clawing at the sky, was the clock tower, perpetually ticking the time away. The wagons had created a small half-circle near one of the entrances, making a sheltered area for the group of wanderers. From between the wagons, passersby peered in with interest sparking in their eyes, wondering who the newcomers were, and what they meant for their city.

The sun was setting, already dropping down below the crest of the high, protective walls, and resulting in an eerie purplish hue that swirled across the otherwise black velvet sky. A fire had been lit in the middle of the half-circle, and a low growl rose instinctively from his throat when the woman from before approached him.

When he struggled against his ropes, one of his two captors grabbed his neck from behind, thumb and forefingers digging painfully into the skin behind his ears.

"Hold still," a male voice hissed, fingers tightening on his neck. His head was forced back, the skin on his throat tightening as he stretched back. He watched through the bottom of his eyes as the woman from before came up to him, reaching out and pressing her fingers against his neck.

His eyes flicked to the left as a younger woman came up beside him, a hinged box in hand. She opened the box with careful hands, displaying it for the woman. The blood ran from his face as he saw what was inside. Nestled tightly in the red velvet that lined the box, ten glistening white bones rested, thick on one end, thin and sharp as needles on the other. Next to those was a small corked bottle of thick black liquid.

The woman gingerly took one of the bones in her right hand, and leaning over, touched the sharp-end to his skin. A few beads of sweat rolled down the back of his neck as the sharp end of the bone pressed a little harder against the left side of his neck.

She gave a sudden burst of strength, and he cried out as the needle-like bone jabbed into his skin. She yanked it from his skin just as quickly, and repeated, again and again. Deft strokes of her hand brought the needle to his skin over and over again, jabbing into his neck and, as a result, fresh red blood trailed down onto his chest and shoulder, staining his off-white shirt an ugly crimson.

He gritted his teeth as the needle jabbed in again, sending fresh waves of pain through his flesh. After close to twenty minutes, the woman finally stopped mere seconds before he would have lost his composure, and wiped the needle clean on a rag, then wiped the blood from his neck.

He cried out again when she rubbed the black liquid over the wounds. The liquid stung in the deep wounds, and her hand disrupted the skin, making the back of his knees feel weak with pain. The woman used nearly the whole bottle of liquid, and when she was thoroughly satisfied with her handiwork, sent him off to the wagon again.

He collapsed when one of the men shoved him inside, and for a moment, he let himself lay there, fighting the urge to faint again. After he collected himself, he dragged himself into a sitting position. It was then that he noticed the bowl of water nearby, and looking onto the reflective surface, he grimaced at what he saw.

Spreading across his neck was an intricate tattoo, permanent black lines swirling across his skin in an everlasting pattern. Means of identification, nothing more. He had been marked, and forevermore he'd have to live with the mark of a slave…

* * *

><p>He brought his fingers to the still-throbbing wounds on his neck, wincing as they touched, pain flushing through his veins. It had been four hours since the tattoo had been forced upon him, and it still ached, and it probably would ache for quite some time.<p>

He already hated it.

Voices came at the door, causing him to freeze. He listened intently, straining his ears to hear what the voices were saying.

"We can skip the formalities, Mistress Fala," an unfamiliar voice cooed. It was obviously a woman. "You know why I'm here."

"Yes of course. Here, the one you'd be interested in is in here." Mistress Fala's voice answered, being followed by a soft, dreadful click. The door swung open, light from the city flooding inside and illuminating him with a soft yellow hue.

Two women stood outside, Mistress Fala and an unknown woman with hair the shade of night and harsh, scrutinizing green eyes that took in his every feature. Gracefully, and with great ease, the unknown woman stepped into the wagon, and approached him, towering over where he still sat, cross-legged on the floor. He pretended not to notice her, looking straight at the wooden walls of his prison, his jaw firmly, stubbornly set.

He snorted softly when a different pair of hands came from nowhere and forced him to his feet. Glancing back, he could see that Mistress Fala had entered the wagon, and was forcing him to stand before the other woman.

She leaned in close, peering into his eyes and giving a soft, barely audible laugh of approval as she looked him over from head-to-toe.

"Strong chin, finely featured. This one is of noble blood. But," she mused, suddenly grabbing his chin between her thumb and forefingers and forcing his head up, forcing him to meet her eyes. "His eyes are strong and proud, like those of a feral beast. The eyes of a thief."

A low growl rose yet again from deep in his throat as she rubbed small circles on his skin. Fuming, he finally snapped when the woman slowly dragged a slender finger across the surface of his lips, and he clamped his jaw shut, teeth crushing down on her fingertip.

She gave no cry of pain, gave no indication that she even felt it. She merely stood there, eyes flashing slightly as his incisors ground into her perfect skin, drawing small traces of blood. He grimaced at the flavor, and reluctantly, he let go of her finger, spitting the blood out and glaring at her defiantly.

"What's your price?" The woman asked Mistress Fala, looking at him with amusement. Mistress Fala chortled slightly, tightening her grip on his wrists.

"Hmm, I was thinking somewhere around 10,000…but…tell you what, repeat customer discount. 5,000 take it or leave it."

He glanced aside as the woman pondered the steep price Mistress Fala had laid out, and saw that Benji and Annalise were still sitting against the wall, watching with frightened eyes as he was held, and his fate decided.

"5,000 rupees is a lot to pay for a slave. All I need is someone to work the smithy."

"Ah, but he's worth every penny you'll spend."

The woman laughed, as if at a joke that she was intent on keeping to herself.

"I'll take him…"

* * *

><p>The inside of the Stone Tower was dark, and all around, the long-empty rooms were flooded with sudden life. Energy flowed through the room that the group had entered, making the air feel thick and causing one of the shadows' to cough. The horses stopped at the edge of a pitch-black ravine, throwing back their heads and letting loose soft nickering sounds of worry and apprehension.<p>

The woman licked her lips before calling out.

"Your Grace, I humbly present your prizes."

Ahead of them, the blackness seemed to take on a life of its own, different colors appearing and creating eye-catching patterns. A few seconds later, the colors took on a human shape. The shape of a human woman. Torches suddenly exploded into life, flames flickering and illuminating the darkness, revealing what lie beyond.

A woman was indeed there, sitting with one leg crossed on a dark, twisted throne. Her hair was an arbitrary shade of violet that glimmered in the firelight, hanging around her shoulders in lush, curled locks. Her eyes were a startling yellow, with green around the edges of her irises, and when she parted her plush red lips, revealed the glistening white fangs that hid beyond. Hanging on a rope, fangs three-times the size of her own rested against the skin of her chest, not quite reaching the top hem of her purple and red dress.

She stood from her seat when the shadow woman slipped from her horse's back, moving over to one of the other horses and pulling the small, crumpled body of a young boy. His hair was a shocking shade of red, short and cropped close to his head. He was probably close to six years old, still small enough for the woman to carry easily, but large enough to hold his own when he woke.

She placed him on the stone floors before the strange woman, and prodded his shoulder with a bare foot.

"Boy, wake up." She commanded. His eyes cracked open, revealing their amber hue. He was obviously of Gerudo descent. He looked around unsurely, already large eyes widening with fear and unknowing.

She leaned down, bending in half and giving him a falsely reassuring smile.

"Little boy, what is your name?" She asked, widening the fake smile when he looked at her with fear.

"No! Don't tell her anything!" A different voice screamed, the woman whipped around, smile vanishing in a flash. The young woman that had been slung over her own horse had woken up, and was staring over at the little boy, voice high and carrying the pitch of a mother's concern.

She turned back to the little boy, and smiled again.

"Don't listen to her. I'm your friend, you can tell me." She insisted, watching the subtle twitches that affected the little boy's expression. He was torn, and she could use that.

"What's your name, little boy? I won't hurt you."

"Please! Don't listen to her! Never tell a shadow your name! Remember the stories I read you!"

The little boy looked toward the younger woman that was still slung over the horse's haunches, and then to the woman that was leaning over him.

"If you tell me, you can play. All day long."

His expression twitched toward eagerness.

"M-my name's Malikai…"

* * *

><p><strong>K'ger: So, two important things to talk about:<strong>

**#1. JAC. **

**I read your review, and no, I have not played Minish Cap, so I didn't know. Its just the disclaimer, just for fun, nothing serious. Thank you for your kind words of Princess of Demons and Perseverance. But, as to which stories I update, this is the only one I'm certain on. I am hopelessly blocked on Perseverance, and no one seemed interested in Princess of Demons, which drops it to low on the totem pole of things to update. Also, I'm sorry you found the ending of Silence is Golden...Dry? if you mean it wasn't action-y enough, I'm sorry, but I need my warm milk before bed.**

**#2. (this is a personal thing, no need to read unless you're bored.)**

**This afternoon, I was riding in the car with my mother, and a strange sounding song came onto the radio. We turned it up, and lets just say that my face wasn't pretty. It was absolutely disgusting! And so degrading of women! It said (things I remember, they might be incorrect, basics, basics): **

**"You should dance on a pole."**

**"You can twerk in a thong, cuz its your thing."**

**"I'm gonna call you my B****."**

**Ladies, if we don't have any respect for ourselves, no one will. We need to stop buying into disgusting, chauvinistic perverts like these. We can vote, we can get jobs, hell, we can do everything men can, and yet we date pigs like these? These men are supposed to be the fathers' of our next generation? **


	4. Touched by a God

**K'ger: Ok, not much to say here, except be weary, again, gory stuff, dark themes, death. Should be used to that by now but I'm gonna be cautious.**

**But I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!**

**(I got Ocarina of Time 3D! Its amazing!)**

**I do have a question for all my readers, though. Do you think I should switch to an M rating? Is this too dark? Too gruesome?**

* * *

><p>Touched by a God<p>

* * *

><p>Malon looked at her father, worry sparking in her blue eyes.<p>

"Are you sure you can handle the ranch all by yourself? It's been years since you've even picked up a pitchfork, let alone take care of close to twenty horses." She asked, glancing at the compound, horses were grazing in the pastures, and a few Cuccos were scratching around, digging up worms and eating insects they happened upon. The thought of leaving her now elderly father in charge of her home was frightening.

Talon laughed softly, waving her off with a dismissive flick of his wrist.

"Oh, I'll be alright. Go, someone has to help Romani through this. And these old bones weren't made for travelin'." He answered, looking past Malon. Epona and Cerus stood beside the front gates, tacked-up and ready, with full saddlebags hanging over their haunches. Next to Epona, the young mahogany filly stood, big brown eyes taking in every detail of the huge world around her, and occasionally yanking against the rope halter that kept her close to her mother.

Epona would then give a half-annoyed whinny, and nudge her foal with her muzzle, urging her to be calm and stand still. Not an easy task for a young foal.

Jack and McKenna emerged from the house, heavily packed satchels hanging over their shoulders. McKenna had changed from her usual red and gold skirt and chest wrapping, opting for a more travel-hardy red, form-fitting shirt, and cotton trousers. Jack had changed less than her, the only difference being the vest that he now wore. It was pure tanned leather, with delicate tooling over the chest and shoulders.

Following closely behind them, Kara and Rinku bounced out of the house, the little girl was wearing a simple white dress with purple embroidered flowers and miniature work boots. The little boy, on the other hand, wore a tunic of blue fabric, and the same boots as his sister.

Malon hugged her father quickly, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, and then moved over to Epona with a nod of her head. She swung easily onto the huge mare's back, and leaning down, brought both children onto the horse with her, settling them in front of her and keeping her arms around them for safety.

With a final wave, Malon kicked Epona through the gates, the young filly trotting bouncily alongside and Jack and McKenna following behind on Cerus.

"Mommy, where're we goin'?" Kara asked, craning her head back so that she met her mother's eyes. Malon's fake smile faded altogether, and to comfort herself, she began to run her fingers through Epona's thick white mane, focusing on the way each individual stand slipped through her fingers.

"We…uh…we're going to visit your cousin, Romani…"

* * *

><p>They rode for the remainder of the day, across Hyrule Field and entering the forest. As they traveled through the thick forest, Malon kept a careful watch, always searching for a clue, a sign, anything that pointed to where Link was.<p>

The sun was starting to set, falling below the tree line in a blaze of reds and oranges, and as the group broke through a particularly thick bit of underbrush, the horses stopped abruptly. Before them, the ruined remains of the Escorlan Estate were spread. Smoldering rubble, embers occasionally still clinging to the wooden beams that remained intact on the ground.

Malon couldn't suppress a small gasp, and quickly covered her mouth with one hand to quiet herself, not wanting to frighten the children. Jack and McKenna rode up beside Epona, both of them with their mouths agape at the ghastly sight that was laid across their lines' of sight.

"Momma, what's this?" Rinku asked in a small, meek little voice, one that was obviously underused. Absently, Malon reached forward and rubbed a hand over his small head in a reassuring way, fingers brushing against his bluntly pointed ears.

"It's ruined…" She said breathlessly, putting both hands forward and holding the two children more snuggly against her. She tapped Epona's sides with her heels, urging the mare to take them closer to the rubble, and sat with a stiff back, shivering as a chilling thought came to mind. Had Link gotten caught in the fire? Would she find Link, dead, in the rubble?

These thoughts spiraled out of control as the mare slowly made her way down the hillside, each one worse than the last.

But as the group rode somberly over the rubble remains of the estate, they found no sign of Link, or anyone, for that matter. That is, until they reached a barren patch Malon guessed to be part of the courtyard. Epona stopped abruptly, and soon after she caught sight of why the horse had stopped, Malon gasped and whirled the horse around in an instant to keep the children from seeing what she had viewed.

Looking to her right, she saw that Jack and McKenna's horse, Cerus, had stopped as well, and both of his riders were staring at the same thing she had seen. She leaned to the side, so that only they could hear.

"I have to get these two out of here, they don't need to see that." And with that, Malon spurred Epona forward, urging the mare into a brisk canter over the rubble, further toward the east with the filly following obediently beside her mother.

Jack and McKenna stared at the gruesome sight before them for a few minutes more, entranced, before snapping out of their stupors and quickly wheeling Cerus around, bidding the stallion to follow after Epona and Malon.

They quickly caught up with her, and rode alongside as Malon whisked them all away from the sickening pile of bodies they had found, blood still dripping from the lifeless corpses. But the more sickening sight had been what lay before the pile. A message had been scrawled in their blood.

_"__Watch your backs."_

Who would have done such a thing? Ever since Ganon had been defeated six years ago, most people didn't even dare touch Hyrule, let alone massacre the entire estate of one of the most affluent Dukes in the kingdom. It was a grand statement all right, teetering on a declaration of war. But _who_ was declaring it was yet unknown. The nearest kingdom was Termina, and although it was true that Termina and Hyrule weren't allies with one another, they had never diplomatically shown distaste, especially with such a brutal display.

They rode quickly through the remainder of the forest, eventually slowing to an easy trot when the forest became sparse, only a few trees dotting their views and instead being replaced by the massive expanse of an open field.

The grass was tall, and swayed in the gentle night breeze. The moon shown down on the field, giving the grass a haunting, ghostly appearance, like the grasses of an ethereal plain talked of in the legends of old.

They rode slowly into the field, horses bobbing their heads, sniffing at the unfamiliar air and taking in the scents that surrounded them. Kara and Rinku were both leaning against her chest, quickly being soothed into sleep by the gentle rocking motions of Epona's steps. Their travels continued silently for another hour or so, heading deep into the night, not a one of the adults making a sound, all too scarred to speak.

Instead, they merely listened intently to the sounds of the night. The soft chirping of crickets that hid deep in the grasses, out of sight but serenading the few creatures that stayed awake to hear their desolate song. The occasional twittering of a bird that had been woken from its slumber. The thud of their horses' hooves on the ground, a rhythmic beat like the solemn pounding of a drum.

As they listened, and tried desperately to forget the gruesome images that were currently locked tight in their minds, Malon, Jack and McKenna were jarred abruptly from their thoughts as the horses came to a standstill.

Cerus pulled his head back, ears slowly turning to lie flat against his neck, and Epona gave a cautious tilt to her shoulder, both shielding her foal from oncoming danger and making it easier for herself if the need to take flight arose. Malon looked forward nervously, eyes once unfocused now sharpening, coming to rest on a strange looking creature a few hundred feet away. Epona's muscles tightened underneath her saddle, and Malon grabbed tight to the mare's mane as she gave a warning stomp of her hoof.

The strange creature did not move, other than tipping its head back a miniscule bit. But from deep inside it's thickly furred throat, a startling howl erupted. It was a low, baleful sound, piercing the night sky and sending a shiver down Malon's spine. The melancholic howl drawled on into the night, dying off low, and the creature turned slightly, it's face twisting toward them a few more inches and coming into the direct light of the moon.

It was an odd creature, the shape of its body resembled that of a stag, tall, with a long body slumping down toward the back and blending seamlessly into its hind legs. Its legs were thick, but elegant, curving inward and becoming thinner toward its hooves, and a thick ruff of brownish-gold fur covered its heavily muscled neck, hanging low in front of its thick barrel chest. But its head was arbitrary for its body, with a long, narrowing muzzle, like that of a wolf, and eyes centered more toward the middle of its face, again more like a wolf than a dear.

Its eyes blazed bright gold in the dark, with silver pupils that reflected the moonlight.

Epona threw back her head, ears flicking back and forth out of fear and distrust, and she put her head down, nudging her foal away and turning sideways when the creature started toward them. Its gait was like the movement of liquid silver, pure and smooth, the very essence of grace.

Its head remained completely still as it walked, lifting each hoof high into the air and setting it down without the slightest waver. The horses neighed cautioning words in their own tongues to the creature, willing it to stop, to go on its own way.

But the creature did not listen to the horses' reasoning. It continued toward Epona, eyes completely affixed on Malon as it stepped even closer. Malon remained atop Epona, frozen as the creature came so close that she could feel its breath on her face. It reached forward with its narrow muzzle, pressing its nose against her forehead, taking in her scent. Its nose was wet, and cold against her skin, like the nose of a dog.

She looked into the creature's eyes, and the blood drained from her face as it opened its mouth a small ways, revealing the sharp, yellowing teeth that lined the inside of its mouth, lodged firmly in the pink flesh of its gums and glistening with saliva.

Her eyes momentarily flicked down to where her two children were leaning against her, peacefully asleep and completely unaware of the creature that stood mere inches from them. The creature met Malon's gaze again, then turned quickly, its body bunching up tightly before it sprung, leaping like a deer.

It bounded away, dodging to the left and right sporadically, and all three adults stared in wide-eyed awe at the trail the creature left behind.

The padded down grass where the creature had landed started to glow, a faint white light at first, but growing brighter as the creature fled further and further into the night, until the only thing they could see were the prints it left behind.

Looking to direction in which the creature had fled, Malon could vaguely see a strange silhouette on the horizon. A tower, highest point clawing at the black velvet sky, giant walls protecting it from below, and the face of a massive clock shining like a beacon in the night, illuminated by flickering firelight.

"What in the hell was that…thing-?" Jack asked breathlessly, wrapping an arm around McKenna's waist from behind her on Cerus. Malon stared after the creature as well, eyes occasionally moving down to the path that the beast had left behind.

"I might be wrong, but I think that thing was a God." McKenna answered, leaning back against Jack's chest. Malon jerked her head toward her travel companions, and then gave Epona a soft kick. The mare started forward obediently, but her gait was reserved, bunched up with nerves.

"Mal? Where are you going?" McKenna asked, watching as her friend rode swiftly after the strange creature.

Malon stopped Epona for a moment, and turned the mare to the side so that she could look at her friends.

"I think we should follow it…"

* * *

><p>Link was led out of the wagon, wrists tied behind his back. He stole one last glance at Benji and Annalise, grimacing at their frightened gazes before the door was slammed shut by Mistress Fala.<p>

"Get moving, boy." The other woman commanded, pressing a hand against his back and pushing him forward. He gasped from the force of her push, and staggered for the first few steps he took. When he lifted his head, he found that the woman was directing him toward another wagon. This wagon was open-faced, and the inside was stuffed to the brim with metal. Scrap metal, rusting and battered with age.

The two horses that stood, hitched to the wagon, were a sorry sight. They were old, geriatric in Link's eyes, with heavily swayed backs and gray hairs peppering their brown coats, until they looked whiter than the latter. Their hooves were cracked in places, and on their sides, underneath their harnessing, he caught a glimpse of ribs protruding from beyond their coats.

Another man was standing alongside the wagon, and he took a hold of Link's ropes when he drew near.

The man that held his bonds was actually shorter than him, with short black hair that was balding around the top of his round head. When their eyes met, a chill rippled through his body. The man's eyes were lifeless, black portals to an empty soul, and when he tipped his head slightly to one side, Link saw the black swirling lines of a tattoo similar to his own cascading around the man's neck.

He was another of the woman's slaves.

"Keep this one close, Zepora. This one isn't broken yet, and as a wild spirit." The woman mused, addressing the man holding him. The man dipped his head, acknowledging her, and after, the woman smiled and strode toward the front of the wagon, swinging onto the seat.

Moments later, the cart heaved forward, accompanied by the familiar clatter of horses' hooves and creaking of wagon wheels. The man called Zepora tugged on his ropes, dragging him forward after the moving wagon.

He was led through the town, not allowed the time to wonder at the narrow streets that darted off from the main road, or eye the wares that street vendors were peddling. Instead, he was dragged through at an impressive clip, reaching the field on the other side of the city walls within minutes…

* * *

><p>He ground his teeth as he walked. The ropes were digging into his skin, leaving red, raw marks in its wake, stinging as it rubbed the first layer of his skin away and revealed the bloody flesh beyond. The wagon shuddered beside him, drawing his attention, and he stopped when he bumped softly into the man that was dragging him along.<p>

The wagon had stopped, and edging forward a small bit, Link saw that the horses were staring straight ahead, into the shallow foothills that they had been heading toward. The small group that had been accompanying the woman gave collective sounds of awe, surprise and fear as the horses neighed softly, and then dropped onto their knees in an action that resembled that of a bow. A few hundred feet away, a strange looking creature stood.

The creature startled the group, all save Link, who could only stare at it with interest, when it suddenly leapt forward, covering close to fifty feet in a single bound.

The horses remained in their bow as the creature leapt again, and again, coming closer until it was mere feet from the group. The other members backed away, but Link stood where he was, curiosity and interest sparking in his deep sapphire eyes.

The creature, after looking at the woman intently, came directly over to him, stopping only when its wolf-like face was mere inches from his. He shuddered slightly, but stayed still when it reached forward and pressed a cold wet nose against his forehead.

"Kill that demon!" The woman shrieked suddenly. Only a split second later, Link leapt back when a gut-wrenching roar ripped from the creature's throat, and the strange beast rose up onto its hind legs, kicking out wildly with the front as an arrow buried deep into its side.

Shimmering blue blood quickly began to drip from where the arrow now resided, matting the creature's brownish-gold fur and spilling onto the rough leather of his boots as he desperately fought to dodge the beast's flailing hooves.

A cruel laugh came from the wagon, and glancing to the side, Link could see that the woman had stood from her seat, and was smiling an evil, half-crazed smile as the creature staggered on its feet, pain and anger sending it into a blind panic.

After a few more moments, the creature fled, swerving to either side, unable to hold a straight line in its pain. It disappeared beyond the crest of one of the many foothills, heading toward the south, leaving a trail of blood.

A strange feeling started to buzz in the back of Link's head, and as he was urged after the wagon again, he couldn't shake the feeling that he had just been touched by a God…

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><p><strong>K'ger: Ok, please, everyone, I promise that this story will get lighter, more fun, fluffy, ect. I just find that the beginning to this story has to be this dark, so bear with me, please.<strong>

**Next chapter will have some Jack antics in it, which should lighten things up a good deal!**

**Shout out to Link'sLily! Her story, According to Legend, is getting better by the chapter! I really, really hope anyone reading this will check it out! Its great!**


	5. Out Of Balance

**K'ger: Woo! I'm on a roll! This came out of a major power session! It just came right onto the page, I had ABSOLUTELY no trouble with this chapter at all. It was actually really fun to write!**

**I hope you all enjoy this chapter!**

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><p>Out Of Balance<p>

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><p>A thick layer of early morning fog coated the high northern mountains, sparkling dew adorning every blade of grass that grew on the rolling mountain field. The altitude gave the air a chilly feel, despite it being the middle of summer, and as a small, sturdy pony of shaggy brown fur trotted across the field on strong little hooves, the rider took in a heavy breath.<p>

He was a young man, perhaps in his very early twenties, clothed in thick leathers and sashes of bright reds and yellows. The pony's gait shifted ever so slightly beneath him, and to his well-attuned connection with the animal, it felt like the pony had tensed, as if it had sensed something it did not like.

He strained his ears, listening to the sounds of nature around him. It was very quiet, which was not unusual for this time of morning. Only a few birds twittered and cooed, and the crickets had quieted down hours ago.

But one sound pierced the stillness, cutting through the silence like a knife. It was a long, low cry, mourning and pained. He pulled his pony to a stop, and looked all around, squinting to see through the thick fog.

Looking down to the grassy ground beside his pony's hooves, a strange, glitter caught his attention. He leaned low from the pony's back, and as he drew near, saw that it was a strange, thick blue liquid, spreading across the grass and leading out of sight. It smelled metallic, like blood, and as he pulled himself upright, another painful, gut-wrenching moan met the young man's ears.

He pulled the pony around, following both his ears and the trail of bluish liquid. The pony carried him swiftly, and as he rode, the sound became louder, more desperate. He rode far from the direction he had been heading, into one of the thick pine forests that stood tall and lush in the mountains. The pony heaved a soft sigh as another moan came through the fog, and the young man ruffled the pony's thick black mane reassuringly.

With some struggle, the pony managed to break through a thick bit of undergrowth, and let loose a frightened squeal as its hooves fell out from beneath it. Both pony and rider tumbled down a steep decline, the rider pushing away so that the pony did not land on him as they rolled across the grass and bramble.

The young man gasped as he came to a stop, and laid flat on his back for a moment, breathing heavily as pain and adrenaline flushed through his body. The brambles that covered the hill had cut him in several places, small trickles of red blood coming from the wounds. He sat up after a moment, and stiffened when his eyes came into focus on a strange silhouette laying a few feet away.

They had stumbled upon a strange little glen. The creature that was lying there was lying on the bank of a shimmering turquoise pond. Cattails and lily pads decorated the shallow waters, and all around the glen, beautiful flowers were blooming, dewdrops resting on the delicate, colorful petals.

The creature lifted its wolf-like head, shuddering, and looked at him with pale yellow eyes. He gave a soft cry as the pony suddenly reared up, and bolted, charging through the brambles and leaving him behind.

Giving a low, guttural moan, the creature pushed up onto its dark slender legs. Its legs shook beneath its weight, threatening to give out. But the creature approached him anyway, breath coming in slow, shallow gasps.

He staggered back away from the creature, and cried out when his heel caught on the root of one of the willow trees that stood on the waters' edge, and fell backward.

The creature stopped a few feet away from him, and lowered its head slightly. Suddenly, it threw its head back, opening its maw and letting a venomous roar rip from its throat. The young man watched in wide eyed horror, not believing what he was seeing, as the creature's fur slowly turned black. Its eyes, once pale amber with silver pupils, drained color, turning to nothing but lifeless white holes.

Its slender legs widened, thickening, becoming sturdier. Its hooves morphed together, transforming into enormous paws, jagged, deadly claws protruding from each toe. With a final, ear-splitting shriek, the creature shook its head, small black particles floated down from its fur, and a singeing, crackling sound met the young man's ears.

He looked to the ground, and his eyes widened even further. Where the strange black particles had landed, the grass was withering, turning brown and dying beneath its touch. The creature had transformed into a demon.

A loud, malicious growl come from above him, and as he whipped his head up, found himself staring directly into the wide-open mouth of the creature. Frothy saliva dripped from its lower jaw, landing on his chest, and before he could make a move, the creature lunged.

A frightening scream echoed across the mountainside, piercing the morning silence…

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><p>Link panted softly, the air was so thin, and he was exhausted from an entire night of travel without rest. His lungs felt like they were on fire, and as he stumbled on the rocky path they were now taking, he couldn't hold back a string of curses as he tipped forward, landing hands, arms and chest on the sharp rocky ground.<p>

"Are you ok?" An unfamiliar, feminine voice asked. He felt a gentle hand take a hold of his shoulder. He stood up, and found that a young woman was the one holding onto his shoulder. She was very young, sixteen at most, with long, straight brown hair that was tied into place in the back by ways of a simple red ribbon. Her dress was shapeless, and a simple shade of white, with splotches of dirt on the skirt and sleeves.

"Fine." He growled, brushing himself off and wincing as he rubbed a fresh cut. He started walking again, the ropes around his wrists pulling along as the wagon moved further away and drawing the rope tight.

He walked in silence, not acknowledging the girl as he walked, and shot her a warning glance when she got closer to his side. She stayed silent too, and merely walked alongside him, hands clasped nonchalantly behind her back, looking at the high cliff walls that kept their path rather thin.

"I'm not like them, you know," she said finally, not even looking at him, saying it more to herself than to anyone else. "She's my aunt, Mistress Eshana. My parents sent me out here to get some fresh air. My name's Charise, by the way," she talked on, her tone was bubbly and new like a fresh mountain stream. "You look different. What's with your ears, they're all…pointy, except that one is shaped funny. Did you get in a swordfight? Ooh! Does that mean you're a knight? A warrior? Oh, even better! A traveling mercenary traveling the world looking for his true love who got kidnapped from his loving arms by an evil sorcerer?"

Her words became faster and faster as she got more excited. Link looked briefly toward her, and put up his hands.

"No, no. I'm just a rancher. I breed-well, I _bred_ horses for a living. Nothing special."

Her face fell, and she returned her attention to the road that they were forced to follow. He kept his mouth shut, not looking at her, not realizing that the girl was stealing glances at him.

The wagon creaked beside them, the metal that was kept inside it clanked as they horses pulled it over large rocks and stones. The only sounds that met their ears were the soft shuffling sounds that the horses made, the clink of harnesses fastened to the horses' frames.

"Your parents were nobles, but you raised yourself from a young age. You have an innate distrust of other people, intensified by recent events. You've been injured in numerous places all over your body, the most intense being damage to the joint in your left shoulder, which also happens to be your dominant hand." She said suddenly, startling him. He jerked his head toward the young girl, eyes widening at her.

She smirked, a soft laugh greeting his ears.

"You're features are more finely shaped than most people here, which tells me you're of noble blood. But you walk with purpose, and have sharp jerk to your stride. I'd say you were probably a criminal of some kind. Your body language is reserved, but there are subtle tells that are pointing toward discomfort and even distress. You have scars, and you ever so slightly favor your left arm, the way you're holding it keeps pressure off of the injured joint."

"How can you tell?!" He asked, voice rising slightly in shock, and an edge of curiosity working into his tone. The girl's smile faded, and her head tilted forward a bit, shadows playing over her eyes like shields to the rest of the world.

"I…uh…I've had a lot of time to watch people. A lot of time to learn the subtle hints that betray what people say."

He raised an eyebrow, urging to her to delve deeper into her personal memories.

"My parents are nobles too. I'm their second-oldest daughter. But, well, I've never really gotten to be a kid. I was born sick, and I'm still not any healthier than the day I was born. The doctors say I've actually gotten worse. They say I won't last the winter." She said boldly, incredible amounts of bravery for a girl of such a tender age.

He stayed silent, her words sinking in and sending a small shiver down his spine. He sent a silent prayer to the Goddesses above that his children would never meet the same fate as the girl that was walking beside him. How such a young woman could possess the amount of grace ad serenity in the face of her own demise was beyond him.

"You know, you say you're enslaved? Well, so what?" she said suddenly, drawing his attention again. "So's the whole damn world. My aunt is crazy. She's throwing the whole world out of balance."

Charise pointed over to the side of the path, toward a few sparse bushes.

A small gray rabbit was sitting hunched under the brambles, staring intently with its liquid brown eyes at the group. Charise dug into the pocket of her dress, and produced a shriveled brown…something. She showed it to him, murmuring. "Chicken leg."

She flung it toward the rabbit, and Link gave a soft gasp as the rabbit leapt at the chicken leg, biting into it viciously and devouring the cooked flesh. Never before had Link even _heard of_, let alone _seen_, a rabbit interested in eating the flesh of another creature.

The group emerged from the valley. Just ahead of them, a small village stood, houses with simple thatched roofs and paddocks of sheep and goats lining the pathways.

He pulled his head back slightly, turning his shoulder toward the girls as they rounded a bend and entered the village. Standing about fifty feet away, blocking their path, the whole village seemed to be gathered, defiant looks on ever villager's face.

Some were holding pitchforks, while others merely stood, glaring at the wagon.

A middle aged woman pushed through the crowd, wearing simple village clothes but carrying herself with a confident stride that told Link she was more than just a average villager.

"So you come yet again? Are you here for more tax money? Or would you like to take our best lambs, just like last year?" The woman called, voice laced with poisonous hatred. The woman, Mistress Eshana, stepped easily from the wagon's seat, moving to stand directly across from the other woman.

"Such harsh words you speak. Can't a woman just transport her most recent purchases to her home?" Mistress Eshana said innocently.

"Of course, if that was true. You've bought more metal. When are you finally going to realize the errors of your ways and stop this madness?" The village woman retorted, placing both hands on her hips.

"Let us pass, Selia. Or I won't hesitate to set my men on you." Eshana growled.

"Oh? What men? Do you have them hidden somewhere? Or do you mean one of your metal demons? Someday, the Great Goddess will come to your doorstep, and you will regret ever setting foot in this kingdom."

"You still believe that ruddy old fairytale? Ha! You imbeciles, the era of gods and goddesses will soon come to pass, we are on the very cusp of a revolution, and when that time comes, the flames of my guns will burn you all!"

The village woman did not back down, she moved instead to cross her arms across her chest, a fierce expression settling on her face.

"The Great Goddess gives life, and takes life away. Life and death are her's alone, or have you heathens forgotten that?"

Mistress Eshana turned her back on the village woman, and mounted her wagon once again. Seconds later, the wagon surged forward again, the horses quickly being urged to trot, barreling toward the group of villagers. The ropes that held him quickly dragged him forward, and he nearly fell flat on his face as he staggered to follow after.

The villagers parted, allowing the wagon through seconds before the wagon trampled them, and the last Link saw of the village was a glance over his shoulder.

Selia, the village woman that had stood up to Mistress Eshana, was looking at him with intense interest. The wagon shuddered forward, horses breaking into smooth, swift canters, and he had to move into an all out sprint to keep up.

"Lady Selia, is everything ok?" One of the village men asked, coming over to stand beside her. Selia looked in the direction that Mistress Eshana had left in.

"That man, the one she had tied to her wagon. He's been touched by the Great Goddess, Termia…"

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><p><strong>K'ger: Ok, more and more characters! I can't help it! All these characters just pop into my head. Charise wasn't planned at all! She just showed up as I wrote!<strong>

**And I lied, the Jack antics will be in the NEXT chapter.**

**Also, there were two lines in this chapter that I modified from a great movie called "Princess Mononoke" that I thought fit this story perfectly. Does anyone know which ones these lines were?**


	6. Hope Has Died, Be My Guide

**K'ger: Ok, not much to say here, except that I don't own the lyrics to the song that is featured in this chapter. All credit goes to WindWaveProductions on YouTube.**

**And a gigantic shout out to Link'sLily! She made the amazing cover art for this story! I absolutely adore this picture, and thank you so, so, so, so SOOOOOO much for drawing this AND letting me use it as the cover art! I love it so much! You're the best!**

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><p>Hope Has Died, Be My Guide<p>

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><p>They had lost the strange creature's trail. For an entire night, they had ridden hard, relentlessly following the glowing patches of grass. But as dawn had started to break, the trail had begun to weaken with the coming sunlight. And as the sun crested the mountainous eastern region, the trail suddenly vanished.<p>

Malon pulled Epona up as the glowing patches of grass disappeared altogether, vanishing into nothingness. The big red mare pranced beneath her, muscles tight with nerves. When she reached a hand down to stroke her neck, the mare's skin twitched, as if her touch wasn't welcome.

She looked up, scanning the place they had come to. It was a low flatland, with thick, straw-like grasses that grew in wide, yellow clumps, and thick trees with moss and mushrooms growing on their trunks. The thick bows of the trees shaded the little hollow, and the sunlight that broke the leaves dappled the ground with gentle yellow and orange hues.

But Epona didn't like the place. Beneath Malon, she pawed at the ground with her massive hooves, kicking up clumps of the grass and dirt and pinning her ears flat against the back of her neck. She arched her neck, giving an aggressive tilt to her head, a breathy snort escaping her lips as she stared intently at the far edge of glen.

There was a rustling sound, like dry autumn leaves blowing in the wind, and the head of an animal popped into sight from beyond the crest of a rolling hill in the distance. Epona threw back her head, coming dangerously close to knocking Malon, Kara and Rinku off. Shouting, Malon shielded the two young children in front of her, and groaned when the back of the mare's head whacked her painfully in the shoulder.

"Epona!" she yelled, scolding the mare. "Settle down or you'll kill us all!"

At the sound of her master's voice, the mare did calm slightly, letting her head droop forward slightly, ears dropping to either side in slight shame of her behavior. The filly that was still tied to her saddle whinnied in a shrill tone, and backed up until the rope grew tight.

Beside them, Cerus nickered unsurely beneath Jack and McKenna, looking between the creature in the distance and Epona.

"What is that thing and why are the horses acting up?" Jack questioned, holding tight to McKenna.

"I don't know." Malon answered simply, slipping from Epona's back while the mare did remain grounded and pulling Kara and Rinku down with her. Epona threatened to bolt as soon as Kara and Rinku were on the ground, but Malon stopped her with a simple tug on the horse's thick white mane.

The animal moved a bit toward them, revealing more of its body structure. It was a bull. A huge bull, with massive, humped shoulders and cream colored horns that curved outward and upward, ending in darkened, deadly sharp points. Its coat was short, and colored an off-white, with small splotches of darker hairs spotting its thick body. As it walked toward them, its hooves came into view as well. They were gargantuan, thick and heavy, and could easily crush someone's foot with a single step.

The early morning sun silhouetted the giant beast as it came astride the rolling hill. It stopped as its small, emotionless black eyes came to rest on their small group. Bubbling, frothing saliva came from its mouth as a deep, frenzied roar rumbled out from deep in its throat.

Epona reared up, frightening the filly that was still tied to her, and Cerus backed up a few paces as the bull pawed at the ground, then surged forward. The bull's hooves dug deep into the ground, leaving grooves in his wake.

Kara and Rinku screamed as the bull drew near, and in the last seconds, Malon grabbed them both and bolted out of the beast's path. The bull lowered its head, horns brandished, and skidded around on its hooves, turning to chase the three of them.

The bull roared again when Cerus crashed suddenly into his side, knocking him away from Kara, Rinku and Malon, and sending the beast sliding across the ground with a mighty thud. The bull groaned, and rose to its feet again, this time throwing an evil look to Jack, McKenna and Cerus. Epona and the filly followed behind Malon, Kara and Rinku, creating a shield of sorts, walking between them and the bull.

Glancing over her shoulder, Malon looked over at the bull, which was now pawing at the ground, undecided on whether to charge them or Jack and McKenna, and noticed a strange mark on its shoulder. The mark was a brand, a circle surrounding the insignia of a thorn-covered rose.

She stopped short, turning to face the bull. The bull snorted as their eyes met, and took a few steps toward her.

"Epona, protect these two." She murmured, running a hand over the mare's neck as she passed.

She and the bull stood directly across from each other, and a calm, confident smile slowly worked across Malon's lips as she stared it down. Never once did she blink as the bull made a few more moves toward her, every step sending a shuddering wave through the beast's extensive muscles. The bull shook its head, a splatter of froth escaping its maw as it approached her.

"Malon! What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Jack cried, ramming the backs of his heels down onto Cerus' sides. The stallion leapt forward, starting toward her and the bull.

She raised a hand, jutting her palm toward them.

"Stop. Don't." She said, keeping her tone flat, never breaking eye contact with the bull. Cerus pulled up to a stop, and Jack and McKenna exchanged nervous looks.

Malon stood completely still, eyes never breaking from the bull's. The bull continued in its approach, eyes holding a strange look, almost like a sickness. Its breath was hot and acrid on her face as it drew near, and smelled of fermenting grass and hay. She slowly raised her hand again, this time reaching it forward toward the beast. Her fingers brushed against the bull's forehead, and she flattened her palm as the creature came to a stop.

"Calm your fury," she whispered in a low, calming voice. "There is nothing to fear here."

The bull's eyes flickered, almost as if for a moment, his eye color changed from lifeless black to brown. They returned to the black color seconds later, and he let loose another fearsome roar, pushing his head forward and down, so that his horns came inches from jabbing into her.

Malon stayed still, keeping her arm loose, so that his movements merely moved her with him. The bull pulled away, looking at her with peculiar glint in its eyes, like confusion.

"You don't have to worry. I'm not going to hurt you," she continued, taking a gentle step forward and putting her hand on the bull's forehead again. He shuddered underneath her touch, but this time remained still.

"Its ok. Calm down, everything's alright."

The bull's eyes flickered color again, and a frightening sound like shattering glass filled everyone's ears. The bull staggered away from Malon, backing away, head swinging side to side as if shaking an unwanted bug. When it looked up again, eyes meeting hers, she found that they now remained the milky brown color that had flickered through his irises occasionally.

A thud came from the bull, and everyone turned their heads toward him to see that the gargantuan creature had slumped back, sitting awkwardly on its haunches.

Malon stared at the bull for a few moments more before Cerus drew her attention, trotting quickly to bring his master over to her side. Jack slipped easily from the stallion's back, and gave her a wide-eyed look, mouth hanging slightly agape out of shock.

"How did you-? When did you-?" He stammered, looking quickly between her and the bull. Malon laughed softly, and knelt down when Kara and Rinku came bounding toward her, a jumble of excited cries and nervous mutterings preceding them.

"Momma, that was amazing!" Kara enthused, both small hands balled into fists and clutched over her chest. The little girl bounced on her feet, looking at her mother with a glow of admiration in her huge blue eyes. Rinku stayed a few feet away, eyes glued to the bull.

"It's ok Rinky, your Momma's got this all under control." Jack said, rough voice containing a twinge of excitement. He leaned over and picked the little boy up, ignoring the meek, soft-spoken protest that he gave, and settling him on his shoulders. It was a well-known fact to both his parents that Rinku did not care for the nickname his "Uncle Jack" had given him. But, Jack being Jack, ignored this, and proceeded to call him by the distasteful name whenever given the chance.

The bull slowly rose to its feet yet again, much more gently than the previous times, and came over to Malon, skin twitching ever so slightly out of nerves. Malon put out a hand, and smiled when the animal gingerly pressed its muzzle into the palm of her hand.

"That's a good boy." She cooed, stroking the bull's muzzle before walking away, over to where Epona and the filly were standing, away from the ruckus. She opened the saddlebags hanging off of the mare's haunches, and produced a coil of thick, sturdy rope.

Slowly, calmingly, she rubbed a hand over the bull's neck, distracting him as she tied a knot in the rope she had swung over his neck, tying him so that he could be led along.

The bull started for a moment when she gave a soft tug to the rope, and the rope pulled on his neck. But meeting her eyes again, Malon coerced the bull to follow her over to Epona. The mare reached forward as the bull came closer, and gently touched her nose to his, breathing in its scent. The bull stayed still, and moved along, following, after Malon swung onto the mare's back, kicking her forward.

"Rinku, would you like to ride with me? Or Uncle Jack?" She asked, pulling Epona over to Cerus' side. Kara scrabbled up to sit in front of her on Epona and, with a gentle hand, scratched the bull's neck.

"Um…Uncle Jack I guess." He murmured in reply, his eyes squeezing shut as Jack's hands tightened around his middle and he was swung down to sit in front of McKenna.

Malon, after making sure her grip was firm on the bull's rope, and that Kara was settled in front of her, kicked Epona forward, urging the mare toward the west. She led the small group silently, following a path that was burned permanently into her memory. She had visited her sister many times before, but as she had started her own family with Link and had helped take over the ranch, her visits had all but died off.

A deep seated guilt rose up from the pit of her stomach, a painful lump forming in her throat as she followed the path that Epona had carried her over many a time, striding under an abnormally arched tree and entering a narrow valley passage.

She hadn't visited her sister since before Rinku had been born. That was over four years ago. That had been the last time she would see her sister alive.

"Momma? Is somethin' wrong?" Kara asked in a small, concerned voice. She looked down at her young daughter, donning a fake smile.

"No, of course not! Why do you ask?"

Kara looked up at her suspiciously.

"Momma, you're crying."

In an instant, one hand flew up to her cheek, meeting directly with a fresh stream of hot tears. She had been crying without even realizing it. She wiped her cheeks dry, rubbing her eyes and nose.

Epona whinnied quietly, snapping them both to attention. She looked forward, and found that they had rounded a bend, and about a hundred feet away, an arch stood over the path, providing access beyond the fences that ran in either direction from them.

On the arch, the words "Romani Ranch" were painted in thick white paint, arching over the insignia of a thorn-covered rose.

The three horses were urged into bouncy trots, their riders steering them along the dirt path that snaked between the green rolling hills. At the tallest crest, a humble farmhouse stood alongside a tall barn. As they rode, they passed a few large cattle that were grazing in the field nearby. These cattle looked just like the bull, other than a few physical differences.

As they approached the farmhouse, Malon pulled Epona up, looking out over the hills. Cerus pulled up beside her, and Jack, McKenna and Rinku looked in the same direction of she.

"Is something wrong, Mal?" McKenna asked in a hushed tone. Malon put one hand to her ear, cupping around it to hear more clearly.

"Do you hear that?" She asked, gripping the bull's rope tighter.

"Hear what?"

"Singing."

They all listened intently, and exactly as Malon had said, someone was singing. The voice was a girl's, light and airy, like the coo of a dove.

_"__Heal my soul,_

_Make it whole,_

_For I've lost my way,"_

Epona followed Malon's urging, veering from the path and moving to trod upon the grass. The others followed, listening as the song grew louder.

_"__Search my mind_

_Help me find,_

_What has gone astray,"_

Epona stopped again. Sitting on the stump of what must have once been a huge oak tree was a young girl. She was probably just entering her teenage years, thirteen or fourteen years old at most, with long red hair that hung around her shoulder blades. She wore a simple white dress, with blue patterns adorning the edges, and a yellow scarf was wrapped loosely about her shoulders.

_"__Wait in vain,_

_Still there's pain,_

_Where did I go wrong?"_

"Momma, who's that?" Kara asked quietly, looking at the girl. Malon stroked the little girl's hair softly, smiling a gentle, but melancholic smile.

"That's your cousin, Romani." She whispered in reply, leaning low so that her words did not disrupt the girl.

_"__Hope has died,_

_Be my guide-"_

One of the horses whinnied, loud and piercing, smothering the sound of the young girl's voice. She stopped short, and her head whipped around to see. A look of confusion played across her face for a moment as she looked the small group over, and then a wide smile tugged at the corners of her lips as realization came to her.

"Aunt Malon!" She cried, jumping from her seat and dashing over to the horses. Malon leaned over and carefully threaded the rope over the bull's horns, releasing him and slipping from Epona's back as he walked contentedly away into the grass, toward another small group of cows.

Almost immediately, Romani tackled her. The young girl wrapped her arms around her waist, giving a soft laugh.

"Aunt Malon! You came!" Romani enthused, hugging her even more tightly. Kara and Rinku scrambled from Epona and Cerus' backs and came to stand behind Romani.

The older girl pulled away from Malon, and turned to greet the younger children. Malon picked Rinku up quickly when he started to look uneasy, and smiled at Kara when she danced around both of their feet.

"Oh, they're both just so cute! Do you remember me, Kara?" Romani asked, putting both hands on her knees and leaning over to look level into Kara's eyes. The little girl shook her head, and moved over to stand beside her mother's legs, one hand coming to grip the skirt of her dress.

"Romani? Where is your father? Is he here?" Malon asked, looking around the field. Romani nodded and pointed toward the farmhouse.

"Yeah, he's in the house, doing some sort of tax thingy or other." The young girl responded, moving back over to the stump and sitting down with a soft sigh.

"It's a lot to ask, but, could you watch these two for a moment while I talk to your father?" She asked, indicating Kara and Rinku. Romani didn't answer, except for a nod of her head, and silently, she ushered both children over to their cousin. Then started for the farmhouse, with Jack and McKenna following on foot behind her.

The farmhouse was well made, with oaken floors and sturdy furniture. In the far corner, a man, probably a little older than Link, was sitting at a table, masses of parchment strewn across the surface and empty inkbottles lying at his feet.

"Cyrus." Malon said, drawing his attention. The man looked up from the table, a glare momentarily meeting her, as if he had been expecting someone else, someone less welcome.

"Oh…Malon. You actually made it." He said, dropping the quill pen he had been gripping tightly and slumping back in his chair, a heavy sigh escaping his lips.

Malon walked over to him, and put a hand on his shoulder.

"How are you doing?"

He looked at her, deep black circles underneath his pale green eyes.

"I don't know what we're going to do," he whispered, standing up from his chair and walking over to a window that overlooked the sprawling pastures. "First Cremia dies, and now, the crops are wilting, the cows have stopped producing milk, both our cart horses have gone lame and to make matters worse, our only bull has vanished without a trace! Sometimes I think the goddesses are laughing at us…" His voice died off, and he turned his toward the window again, covering his eyes with a hand, frustration and despair gripping him.

Jack's head tipped back slightly, a rude laugh escaping his lips. McKenna slapped his arm, and as he looked down at her, a questioning look on his face, he was met with a fierce scowl.

"Knock it off, Jack!" she hissed. "Mind your manners! What? Were you raised in a barn?"

Jack rolled his eyes, and leaned over, his being a foot or so taller than her, until he was face to face with her. And before she could scold further, captured her lips with his own, silencing her. Malon groaned at her two companions, and before they could "explore" each other any further, she brought her hand down on the back of Jack's neck in a hard whack.

He yelped, and pulled away from McKenna, an irritated expression pulling at his features. Crossly, he mouthed, _'__What's wrong with you?'_

"Well, you don't have to worry about that bull of yours anymore, Madame slap-happy here caught it and brought it back."

The man jerked his head toward him, and a slight look of relief crossed his face. He nodded his thanks to their group and strode over to the table again, slumping into the chair and hunching over a piece of parchment, grabbing his quill again and setting to work.

After a few minutes of silence, a thought came to Malon's mind.

"Cyrus, does your kingdom worship any Gods or Goddesses specifically?" She asked, an image of the strange creature she had met earlier coming to mind.

He looked at her for a moment, unsure of her question. After a moment, he pointed his quill toward one of the walls, indicating a framed painting.

"Most Terminians worship a goddess named Termia. It is said that she inhabits the northern mountains."

Malon walked toward the painting, looking at it with scrutinizing eyes. It depicted a large beast, with the body of a stag, the head of a wolf, and a human's eyes. It was leaping over a ravine, with glowing patches of grass in its wake. She motioned to Jack and McKenna, bidding them to come over and look at the painting.

"Doesn't this look like-?"

"The creature we followed?" Jack cut her off. Malon nodded softly, and exchanged glances between her two companions.

"Malon, I think you've been touched by the Goddess Termia…"

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><p><strong>K'ger: Ok, I kind of felt like this chapter was a filler. Is that bad? I just felt like we needed a small breather. Trust me, next chapter is gonna be REALLY intense. Next chapter we get meet a creature named Goht!<strong>

**Sorry if this wasn't as exciting.**


	7. Watch Him Bleed

**K'ger: Well, I have to say that this chapter was a little harder to write than the others. I had a lot of trial and error with descriptions and such.**

**And omigosh! Never, ever let someone tell you that being good doesn't pay!**

**My dad just bought me a Wii U! The subject had come up because I was making plans to breed my rabbits a couple of times so that I could make enough cash to buy it. Well, he beat me to it, and kept saying that its a reward for "being a good kid". It is so totally awesome! I can't wait to get Hyrule Warriors!**

**Anyway, enough about me. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter, and really, this story all together, because I had the greatest plot idea! This story is gonna be EPIC if I pull it off right!**

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><p>Watch Him Bleed<p>

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><p>Hours past the mountain village, Link was led into the main room of what was called, "The Mountain Smithy."<p>

It was a ramshackle house on the outside, with peeling gray paint on the walls and a decrepit porch, and the small stairs creaked precariously beneath his feet as he was drug inside.

The inside was not much better. Closest to him, there was a bench and a small table used for holding incidental items, and not much further ahead, a counter blocked the way, access to the rest of the room only available by ways of a squeaky, poorly hinged door.

It was dark in the room, there weren't any windows to let in any natural light. The only source was a huge hearth, inside which a fire burned, hungrily eating away at the wood that it was supplied with. He was quickly pushed through the door, into the opposite side of the room, and gasped as he bumped into something. He looked up, and found himself staring into the eyes of the largest man he had ever seen.

The man was easily larger than Ganondorf had ever been, excluding his demon form, with gray, cracking skin like granite, and black, soul-less eyes. Around his massive waist, the only clothing he wore was a thick leather belt, and tattered blue pants, frayed on the edges and ripped in several places.

"Puny man." The brute grunted, turning away and throwing another piece of wood on the fire, leaving him to stand there, unsure of what he was supposed to do. In the middle of the room, a huge black anvil stood, with a hammer, tongs and a handful of nails resting on top. Beside a tall stack of firewood, another door led further into the building, a sturdy iron lock preventing him from possible exploration. So he was stuck with the brute.

"Puny man work bellows." The brute grumped, pointing at the large, accordion-like device with a fat finger. He reluctantly walked over, and grasped the top end of the bellows with both hands, pushing down and stoking the fire.

The door to the outside opened again, and the man called Zepora entered, coming over to the counter and slamming a fist down on the hard wood surface.

"Gepora! No!" he growled, apparently indicating the brute of a man. "That one's not here to take the workload off of you, you giant blundering buffoon! He's here to help me with the project!"

The brute looked at Zepora with a blank expression.

"Project?"

"Oh for the love of-! _Gepora-!_ You _know_ what project!" Zepora yowled, coming through the door and startling Link when he grabbed him by the wrist.

"You're coming with me, boy." He reached into the pocket of his thin jacket, and produced a heavy bronze key, shoving it into the lock on the door and forcing it open. He shouldered his way through the door and dragged Link with him.

As he came into the next room, the sight before him was impossible to comprehend. He wrenched his wrist from the slightly smaller man's grip, and stood, frozen.

The room they had entered was huge, the ceilings were so high up it was almost hard to see them, and the hard stone floors stretched out before him, reminding him somewhat of the throne room at Hyrule Castle. Flickering torches illuminated the room, hanging in brackets that lined the walls. But it was what stood in the middle of the room that had startled him so.

It was a giant sculpture, or so he thought. Cast out of metal, and held together by metalworking and massive rivets, nuts and bolts. It was a bull. A giant metal bull, with horns that appeared almost to be made out of blades, like those of a sword, tips glinting wildly in the flickering torchlight.

Zepora strode out toward the sculpture, passing underneath the massive thing without a moments' hesitation. On the other side of the room, he could now see an open door, beyond which he could see the grassy field upon which the smithy stood. He followed the smaller man up to the statue, and stopped, craning his head back to look up at the metal bull's massive head.

"Boy! Come on! You're not here to stand and stare! Get over here!" He snapped, motioning angrily for him to come over to the door.

With an annoyed roll of his eyes, Link passed underneath the metal bull and coming to a stop a few feet away from the open door. The wagon had been parked there, just outside the door, the two old horses standing tiredly, still hitched.

"Get over here and help me unload this wagon boy!" Zepora commanded, pulling a large piece of metal from the wagon and dragging it into the building. "And once we're done, unhitch the horses and stable them."

He reached up, grabbing another piece of metal.

"Yeah, yeah, I hear you." He muttered, wincing as the metal hit the ground and sent a jarring tremor through his body. A smirk crossed his lips for the first time in days when the smaller man jerked his head around and shot him a warning glance.

Close to an hour, and several deep cuts later, a massive pile of bent, banged-up and rusting metal had amassed, piling up near the metal bull's hooves. He took a deep, tired breath, stretching his arms high above his head. His left shoulder made a quiet popping sound as the air that had started to gather in the joint was forced out, and accompanied a painful jerk in his tendons.

"Boy! Quit dawdling and go stable the horses! We aren't paying to the stand around!" Zepora commanded from the pile of metal, pulling out a smaller piece from the pile with one hand, and pointing out the door toward the horses with the other.

_You aren't paying me at all._ He corrected silently.

Just as he trudged out the door, Mistress Eshana passed him, striding toward Zepora with a purposeful glint in her otherwise soul-less sliver eyes. When she was near to him, she stopped, and looked up at the giant bull statue with an admiring stare.

"Is it almost done?" She asked, tone low and flat. Zepora gave a slight, confidant tilt to his head, a lopsided grin tugging at one corner of his mouth.

"Yes, Mistress. Should be ready tonight, provided the damn thing doesn't glitch up like last time." He answered, staring up at the bull with a devilish smile. Mistress Eshana laughed, the sound of it dripping with a mixture of excitement and pleasure and devious anticipation as she turned on her heel, whipping around and sauntering back out of the building…

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><p>The full moon was high in the sky when an upstairs window of the smithy swung shakily out into the chilly night air. Charise leaned out of the window, peering out at the field that spread out around the house.<p>

A thin dusting of frost coated the emerald grass, giving it a lighter hue, and the full moon's light made the ice sparkle like the brightest diamonds.

Taking a breath, she turned around, and leaned out the window backwards, reaching up and grabbing the edge of the roof. She picked her feet up off the floor, and swung them up, bending her legs so that she was crouching on the windowsill.

She adjusted her grip on the roof, and then pulled, dragging herself up and scrabbling onto the roof. She walked across the roof, padding silently over the shingles until she reached the opposite side.

There, she sat down near the edge, bringing her knees up and wrapping her arms around them, hugging them close to her chest as she stared aimlessly out into the dark, navy blue night. The stars shone brightly in the sky, like crystals in a bed of blue velvet.

An intense, stinging ache slowly worked into her chest, gripping her heart and sending painful tremors through her whole body as if a knife had stabbed her through the chest. She let go of her knees, and fell back, lying flat on the roof. She panted lightly as the pain slowly began to wane, as quickly as it had come, and as she gripped the shingles beneath her, it became nothing more than a shuddering memory, just like all the other times.

As she lay there, eyes closed, and nearing sleep, a strange sound caught her attention. She sat up slowly, careful not to move too quickly or else risk another spasm, and crawled toward the edge. Gripping the edge of the roof firmly, she leaned over, and peered underneath, into her Aunt's workroom.

She had never been allowed inside the room, nor allowed even a glimpse of what lay inside, but tonight the giant doors had been opened, and she was given a clear view of the room.

She nearly lost her grip when her eyes came to focus, the bright torchlight temporarily blinding her. Her Aunt and the weird little man were standing at the hooves of an enormous metal statue of a bull. It was gargantuan, probably close to three stories tall at the massive humped shoulders.

Her Aunt and the man were talking, she could see that, but she was too far away to hear anything. Their backs were to her too, making it impossible to read their lips.

The strange little man reached toward the statue, and fiddled with something near the rounded joint on the closest leg.

Nothing happened, nothing changed, and her Aunt did not seem happy about that. The man turned, looking over his shoulder with a sheepish grin, and shrugged to her Aunt.

She lost interest, and pulled back onto the roof. What her Aunt could possibly want with a giant statue was beyond her, but she was growing tired. The tight fingers of sleep were grabbing at her mind, and pulling her down like a led weight.

Her eyelids grew heavy as she laid down flat on her stomach, intent on at least taking a nap, if not sleeping the whole night there. It was then that an eardrum shattering roar ripped from inside her Aunt's workroom.

Seconds later, two sword-like horns crashed through the roof, only inches from where Charise was laying. She scrambled to her feet as the head of the giant bull statue followed, and after she had retreated to the side of the roof her bedroom was, she turned, and looked at the bull.

The once silver metal that had been its eyes now glowed malevolent red, like two flames in the dark. Steam wafted from between the metal sheets that composed its body, and light, metallic clicking and grinding sounds came from beyond.

She stood across from the monstrous contraption, frozen with fear as the thing looked in her direction. She couldn't tell if it could see her or not.

Moments later, the bull pulled back, dropping to all fours again inside the building.

There was another strange sound from inside the building, and then the bull exited, charging out into the field, toward the mountain village and sending shockwaves through the ground like a continuous earthquake…

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><p>She circled around the boy, bare feet barely making a sound on the hard stone floors, taking in every inch of his frame. Her magic had changed him somewhat, aging him to a suitable size. Thirteen it seemed, if her guess was correct, body somewhat gangly, but still compact enough for the plans she had for him.<p>

His mop of red hair had spiked out slightly, giving him a rough appearance, as though he had already been through a fair deal, and his eyes, once amber in color, had drained, and paled, until his irises resembled nothing more than two pools of melted butter.

"Majora, you've got your prize, now I want my payment." The shadow woman growled, leaning, arms crossed, against the farthest wall of the darkened chamber. Her blood-colored eyes narrow and tired.

The woman turned her head, greenish-yellow eyes coming to rest on the shadow woman. Her upper lip curled, revealing the pointed teeth that lay beyond in a wolf-like snarl.

"Fine," she spat, sauntering away from the boy that stood in the light of the single torch that burned. "What is it you desire so badly, Lorelei?"

The shadow woman pushed her shoulder off of the wall, standing her ground as the demon-like Majora came at her. Majora strolled around Lorelei, curling around her like a snake would wind around a mouse, squeezing it to its slow and painful death.

"I want power."

Majora continued in her circling motion, her face twitching subtly toward interest.

"Power…you want power," she hissed, testing the way the words rolled off of her tongue. "What kind of power do you seek?"

Lorelei watched her as she swung around behind her again and again, head never moving, only her eyes followed the demon-like woman. She remained silent, not answering Majora's question.

The demoness waited, also in silence, the only sound that came from the chamber now was the gentle padding of bare feet on the floor. And for the first time, Majora stopped circling, stopped directly in front of Lorelei, and locked eyes with the shadow.

To anyone other than the two women, it would have seemed like nothing more than Majora waiting for an answer, but in all hidden truths, a mental war was being waged. Subtly, Lorelei began to sweat as her arguments were ruthlessly laid to waste, and within seconds, she had lost.

"I want bring back the dead." She uttered in a low, murmuring tone. Majora's head tipped slightly to one side, green-rimmed eyes narrowing to mere slits. Seconds later, a brutal, half-crazed laugh erupted from her throat, forcing her head back.

"So, you wish to resurrect the dead. Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but even I, the great Majora, cannot bestow that kind of power."

A cruel look crossed Lorelei's face.

"Oh? I thought it was you who told me you were the most powerful being to walk the earth." She said venomously, smirking when Majora's expression twitched again, this time in annoyance.

"There are still the gods, unfortunately," Majora muttered, a different, strangely reminiscent look coming to pull at her features. "It is not impossible, I suppose. There was once a great deity that walked the earth, and this deity could bring back those who he judged had died unjustly. He was called a Fierce Deity. But one day, he came to call upon my land, and I yet prevailed to mortally injure him."

The demoness sauntered back toward the boy, running her slender fingers over his shoulders.

"To preserve his powers, he decided to shed his divinity, and disappeared without a trace. It was said that his soul would lie in wait, until a human worthy of his power would come along, and that then his powers would be passed on to said human."

Majora turned, and gave Lorelei an evil look.

"That human is currently in the northern mountains. If you wish to bring back the dead, then you must kill the man, and infuse your blood with his."

Lorelei looked toward to farthest corner of the chamber.

"Chesed!" She called, giving a beckoning motion with her hand. In an instant, the younger male strode out of the shadows, and bowed his head as he approached.

"Go the northern mountains, find him, lead him into the mists. And bring him to me," she leaned in close to him, licking her lips, eyes burning. "Alive. I want to see him bleed…"


	8. Never Look Back

**K'ger: Ok. My writing streak has official died. This chapter turned to be kind of a...female dog...about coming out right. I don't know what happened, one week I was writing like crazy, finishing a 3,500 word chapter in a night, and now it took me a week.**

**I'm still kind of...eh...about this chapter. But if I don't publish this, i'll never get moving on with the plot.**

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><p>Never Look Back<p>

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><p>The wagon came to a shuttering stop. Shaking the warm, tender grip of sleep, Benjamin opened his green eyes, eyelids refusing to open completely as he looked groggily toward the only window.<p>

Even with the blurriness of newly woken eyes, he could see the first fingers of sunlight dappling the soft cerulean sky, a few thin white clouds lazily retreating in either direction, escaping the tendrils of brighter light. He blinked the blurriness away, his mind snapping into motion. The caravan should have kept moving far past dawn, most likely well into midday. And yet here they were, stopped just as the sun was beginning to rise.

He could hear voices outside. The sounded tense, like they were shouting at someone or something. He would have stood up, looked out the window to see what was happening, but Annalise was peacefully asleep, wedged against his side with her head resting on his shoulder. He didn't want to wake her.

So instead, he turned his head, one cheek against the wall as he strained his ears to hear.

"Who are you?" Once voice, a woman, called from in front of the wagon. It sounded like Mistress Fala.

No answer.

"Let us pass." She said, more commandingly.

Silence.

He jolted when there was a scream, and seconds later, the sound of someone hitting the ground. Angered cries followed, ones of outrage and protest. The wagon shook slightly as the horses that were hitched to it backed up, haunches bumping up against the wagon seat.

Soft, nervous whinnies came from outside. Another sound met his ears, a strange, low rumbling sound, almost like a growl. A beast-like growl that slowly grew louder, accompanied by the padding of large feet.

Breathing. He could hear breathing. Hot, heavy breathing, like the panting of a dog when it was too hot outside. Whatever it was, it was just outside the wagon. Instinctively, he wrapped an arm around his sister's shoulder.

She gave a soft moan, her eyes fluttering open as he disrupted her.

"…Benji?" She uttered in a small, sleep-groggy voice, lifting her head up a few inches from his shoulder. He shushed her, putting a finger to his lips, and held her tightly against his side, still listening to the panting, rumbling sounds behind them.

"…Benji…what's wrong-?!" Her voice was cut off forcefully when the sound of splitting wood met both of their ears. Shouting, Benji pushed against the wall, catapulting him and his sister away from the side of the wagon seconds before razor-sharp claws came ripping through the flimsy wood.

A shrill scream came from his sister's throat as she looked past him, toward the outside. He looked over his shoulder, and tightened his grip even further on Annalise as he found himself staring into the maw of what looked to be a huge dog. A fleshy pink tongue was lodged tightly between two sets of yellowing fangs that glistened with saliva, and as another savage growl rumbled from the beast's throat, a few droplets of froth splattered onto their faces.

He could feel Annalise stiffen against him as two more of the beasts peered into the wagon, almost identical to the one that was growling so fiercely at them. The beasts really did resemble giant dogs, with midnight-black coats that shone with greenish-purple highlights like the feathers of a raven. They were easily the size of a horse, with massive paws, ending in long, wicked claws that left deep marks in the wooden floors.

Annalise was frozen against him as the three giant wolf-dogs' closed their mouths upon seeing her. Their ears pricked upright, hackles slowly lowering to lay flat on their thick necks.

The first wolf-dog leaned in close, hot, acrid breath ghosting over both their faces, and sniffed at Annalise, taking in her scent. The others' followed suit, sniffing the two of them with short, stuttering breaths. Seconds later, all three of the beasts' threw back their heads and howled.

"Benji! What are they?" Annalise whined, hiding her face in the crook of his neck. Looking up at the beasts', it was then that he realized that there were people seated atop their backs. Three tall men, all with hair as black as the beasts' they rode and eyes the shade of blood. The man that rode the first of the beasts was by far the youngest, only a few years older than them if he was guessing correctly.

His face was angular, and refined, with a strong jaw and thin, arching eyebrows that were kept low over his crimson eyes. His clothes were simple, a gray tunic, under which a layer of chain mail rested, protecting his core.

Benji threw the man a harsh, threatening glare, hoping to keep him at bay. But instead, received nothing more than a pitying smirk. The man closed his eyes for a moment, his head shaking slightly to either side in a tired expression, before lifting a hand from his mount's shoulders, holding it, palm toward them for a moment before pointing two fingers toward Annalise.

Annalise screamed again when the beast lunged forward, fangs snapping. Benji rolled out of the way, and unable to stop itself, the beast let loose a yelp of uncertainty and anger as it crashed headfirst through the other side of the wagon, landing painfully on its shoulder and sending its rider flying.

"You little-!" The man growled, watching without even a chance to act as Benji pulled himself and his sister up, and dashed out of the hole in the wall that the creature had made, dodging as one of them lunged at him.

Making sure she was on her feet, he pushed Annalise away. The caravan had stopped on the edge of a small patch of fir trees, with green, leafy bows that clawed at the sky. Beyond that, he could faintly see a sparkling blue, darker in hue than the sky. The ocean.

"Annalise! Go!" He shouted, head whipping back toward the ripped open wagon, seeing that the other two beasts' had crawled through, and were stalking toward them. She automatically clutched her hands over her heart, and a unsure, frightened look spread across her delicate features.

"B-but…"

"But nothing! Go! Run! Get out of here!" he put a hand on her shoulder and pushed her toward the patch of trees. "Now!"

One of the beasts' leapt at them, forcing a grunt from Benji as its claws ripped into his shoulder. Annalise staggered back a few feet, eyes widening as her mind failed to comprehend as her brother gasped, falling to the ground before her feet, huge red marks appearing underneath the rough fabric of his shirt.

She stayed completely, frozenly still as the three beasts stepped to where her brother was laying, sniffing at his wounds. Just as it looked like one of the beasts' was about to snap at him, she threw her hands down to her sides, balling them up into fists.

A strange mixture of hidden emotions immediately came to a rolling boil inside her, sending her heart rate spiraling upward, and her mind racing with a rush of adrenaline pumping through her veins.

"G-get away f-from my brother." She said softly not meeting the three men's gazes.

The first one, the one that her brother had glared at, gave another smirk. "What was that, little mouse?"

"I said g-get away from my brother!" She said, a little louder. The three men started to laugh.

"Did you hear that, boys? The little mouse wants us to stay away from her precious big brother!"

Annalise began to fume, hands shaking violently at her sides. Something suddenly snapped in her mind, like a switch had been flipped.

"I SAID GET AWAY FROM MY BROTHER!" She screamed, making her throat hoarse as the sound ripped from her voice box. She raised her palms, eyes clouding over, turning a milky blue, like those of a blind dog, unfocused and unseeing. The atmosphere around the group seemed to thicken, and a dark purple energy pulsed around her hands.

The giant wolf-dogs and their riders were sent flying as a massive throb of blackish purple energy sliced through the air, radiating around Annalise. As the beasts dragged themselves shakily to their paws, riders still clinging to their fur, she pointed both hands at them, breathing becoming ragged.

Snarling, the beasts' attempted to lunge at her again, only to be thrown back by another blast of strange energy.

Benji painfully looked up from the ground, to see his sister standing over him, dazed and surrendering to the beast that slumbered inside of her.

Damn.

He rose to his feet, holding a hand to his side. Annalise glanced at him, as if her eyes were seeing two different pictures at the same time. A dribble of blood escaped his lips, trailing down his chin and dropping onto his chest as he stared at her.

The energy field dropped completely, her eyes remaining the milky, whitish-blue. Her hands fell limp to her sides as she stared back at him, uncomprehending.

"Anna." He whispered hoarsely, reaching out a touching her wrist with his free hand. She recoiled away from his touch, an animalistic growl coming from deep inside her throat. She jerked her head away, refusing to look into his eyes.

"Anna, look at me." He coerced. Only another growl answered him, and with a slight tip of her head, she bolted, racing toward the sparkling blue ocean in the distance.

With the dark energy from Annalise gone, the wolf-dogs' rose to their feet again, snarling at him.

He didn't give them a chance to attack, and instead, sped after his sister, yelling. "Stay away from my sister! She's not one of you!"

He followed her through the thicket of massive pine trees, and down a steep, grassy decline that led to the ocean shore. Crystalline water washed across the fine, dust-like white sand, ebbing on the shoreline, hungrily eating up the ground, before losing the battle and retreating to its home, deep and a thick, Prussian blue.

Across the sand, leading off out of sight, was a single trail of petite footprints. His sister's footprints.

He sped down the beach, eyes completely focused on the trail, not noticing as the wolf-dogs slunk stealthily down the hillside after him, paws making not even the slightest sound on the sand.

The trail of footprints led far down the beach. It was amazing how fast she could travel when she wanted to. Upon passing under a strange rock formation that arched over the beach, he found himself entering a darkened, grassy cove. Seawater flowed in from a narrow inlet in the cave-like walls, pooling near the opposite side of the cove.

He sighed in relief when his eyes came to rest on a small human shape standing near the water's edge. Annalise was standing there, looking down at the water as if hypnotized.

Walking toward her, the younger girl didn't even notice as he approached, still staring into the deepest portion of water. In the midst of swirling kelp and seashells, a crumpled shape was laying, tangled in what looked to be a fisherman's net.

But he did not expect Annalise to suddenly emit a small, shuddering gasp, staggering on her feet for a moment before burying her face in his shoulder. He looked down at her, shocked, before realizing why. From the crumpled shape in the water, red liquid was bubbling up to the surface, spreading out and threatening to cloud the entire pool.

Blood.

One of Annalise's many, many fears.

He carefully pulled himself from her grip, and taking a breath, waded into the water, swimming out until he was just over the shape, then diving in. He paddled down about eight feet, till he reached the shape, and quickly turned it over, finding that it had a vaguely human shape.

It was a Zora. Its skin was a light, cerulean blue, with spiraling blue and red tattoos all over its body, tangled incomprehensibly in the net and bleeding from a deep, ragged gash in its side. Grabbing it by the net, he pushed his feet against the sandy floor, and dragged the injured Zora with him to the surface.

Annalise jumped away from him as he dragged the Zora ashore, leaving behind a trail of crimson. Once the Zora was out of the water, Benji quickly set to work untangling him, well, he assumed it was a him, and for . Stealing an occasional glance, he also found that the wound on his side was quite deep, mortally deep. He wouldn't be able to fix such a wound.

The Zora was dying.

The best he could do was to make him as comfortable as possible. It was the least he could do. It was one of his fatal flaws, deep inside his gut, he felt a severe need to protect and comfort everyone, which, could easily get him in a lot of trouble.

He gingerly pulled the netting away from the Zora's body, listening as a pained gasp shuddered from his mouth, the ropes having been firmly lodged in his wounded flesh. As he reached for the final bit of net, he himself gasped slightly when two cold, scaled hands grabbed a hold of his wrist.

Benji looked toward the Zora's face, and watched as the creature's liquid black eyes cracked open, swirling with an aura of worry and despair.

"Please…" The Zora uttered shakily, voice hoarse and raspy.

Annalise stared at him, wide eyed, mind not fully processing what was happening.

"Please…Please help her…" He said, head tipping to one side, toward the pool of water, as if hoping to catch a glimpse of some imaginary creature.

"Help who?" Benji asked calmly, throwing the net flippantly aside and settling down on his knees beside the Zora.

"…Woman…Stole egg…Tried…G-get it back…She needs it…" He mumbled incoherently, his grip tightening on Benji's wrist. The young man shook his head softly, and carefully, he removed his wrist from the Zora's hands, taking a closer look at the wound. It looked like a sword of some kind had made it.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand." He said, eyes narrowing as a bird from outside the cove squawked loudly. He had paid the bird, a seagull, little attention as he had passed, merely a passing glance as he walked, barely noticing as it sat, contented, in a tuft of grass.

But now it was making a ruckus, squalling, the fluttering of angry wings meeting their ears. Seconds later, three black-coated beasts' leapt through the natural archway, mouths open wide and fearsome snarls coming from deep in their throats.

Annalise, now completely back to her usual self, squeaked and dashed over to kneel behind her brother, hiding her face in the crook of his arm. The Zora turned his head to the other side, and saw the three wolf-dogs stalking toward them.

"…T-those beasts…She rode one of them…Please…Go to t-the Great Bay Temple…Please…It's h-her only hope…"

The wolf-dogs stalked ever closer, a bit of frothy saliva dripping from their half-open mouths. Looking down, Benji found that the Zora's eyes had closed, and discreetly pressing a finger to the side of his neck, felt no pulse, no breathing. He had passed.

"Boy, you can't escape, we have you cornered," the youngest man spat from atop the beast as Benji stood, pulling his sister up with him. "So why don't you just surrender her? She's obviously beyond your control."

He backed away slowly, Annalise giving a soft protest as they both stepped into the shallow water.

"She's my sister, and I promised my mother that I would protect her. No matter what. So leave us alone!" And with that, he leapt backwards, ignoring his sister's desperate scream as they both plunged into the water. The wolf-dogs lunged, only to miss them by inches, a safe barrier of water between them and the monsters.

A plume of bubbles escaped Annalise's mouth as they sunk to the bottom, her scream muffled by the water. He quickly reached for her, plastering a hand over her mouth so that she wouldn't swallow any of the salty water, and using his other hand, pushed them both toward the narrow inlet.

It was extremely small, barely wide enough for him to fit through, and as he slowly dragged himself through the narrow, tunnel-like area, his lungs began to burn. In all truths, he wasn't a very good swimmer at all. The last time he could remember swimming was over ten years ago, in a lake with his sister when they had still both been children.

His cheeks puffed up as his lungs ached for more air. A pounding headache formed in the back of his skull as a lack of oxygen started to take its toll. He was almost out of the tunnel, almost to freedom, almost able to breath again when he felt Annalise go limp in his arms, dragging him suddenly down to the ocean floor again.

"Anna-!" He sputtered, realizing a second too late that he had let go of his breath, water quickly flooded his lungs, stinging his throat the entire way down.

No, I'm not going to drown!

He pushed against the sandy floor, kicking wildly, flailing, trying desperately to drag both his weight and his sister's weight to the surface. He made it about halfway, his vision ebbing in black, before his strength faltered, his grip loosening, and Annalise's limp form slipped from his arms, sinking yet again.

But his mind was full of fog, he could barely notice that Annalise had slipped, and slowly, he too began to sink.

The last thing he felt was something warm and smooth, like a hand, grabbing at the ratty, tattered collar of his shirt before he slowly slipped out of consciousness…

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><p>Among the wreckage, a thin, shorter young woman walked, stepping carefully with her bare feet as to not injure herself on the sharp rubble. Her black hair was kept up, out of her eyes in a loose, slightly disheveled bun, and as she stepped over the bodies of those who had not escaped the wrath of the metal demon, her knee length white dress flowed around her in the foul-scented wind.<p>

But as she looked through the rubble, eyes emotionless and cold, she stopped, looking at one person who had yet survived.

She approached carefully, quietly. The woman was holding a broken spear in one hand, a pitchfork in the other, and her head whipped toward her as she came close, a dangerous look plastered on her face.

Seeing the young girl, her look softened slightly, but her grip remained firm on her weapons.

"You're that demon's niece, aren't you?" The woman asked, a dangerous tone to her voice.

"Yes, but I'm not like her."

"And how am I supposed to believe you? This could all be a trap. She could have told you to say that."

The young girl dipped her head slightly, bangs coming to obscure her eyes.

"Yes, she could have. But she didn't. You're right, I'm Charise, Mistress Eshana's niece. I'm sorry she did this to your village."

A pause followed, neither of the women knowing what to say, or if to believe what the other had said. After a moment, Charise turned.

"Young lady? Are you going to back to that woman?"

Charise stopped dead in her tracks, but did not turn to look at Selia, the village matriarch.

"No. I'm never looking back…"


	9. A Terrible Fate

**K'ger: Yay! I'm back again! I updated! WOO!**

**Ok, first, I'd like to thank Link'sLily for the last review, which, even though you call it vague, was really encouraging! I think it got me through the rough patch I was having.**

**So here I'd like to shout out to you! Check out her AWESOME story, According to Legend. It really doesn't get the attention it needs, and she's really just an amazing friend!**

**Btw, the bottom A/N is REALLY IMPORTANT! READ IT!**

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><p>A Terrible Fate<p>

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><p>Darkness. He was surrounded by it. Although he was obviously in a spacious chamber, <em>where<em> he was completely bewildered him. The lack of light caused him to squint, hurting his eyes as he tried to see more clearly. For some reason, he was barefoot, and the floor was cold beneath him, freezing actually.

He moved his weight from foot to foot as his mind raced. How had he gotten here? Why was he here? His mind was utterly blank, clouded by a strange feeling, a lingering fear that had started small, a few nervous twitches, and had grown and grown until it was now an all encompassing terror. Why? Did was he afraid?

He clamped his eyes shut, breathing deep through his nose, pushing the fear away, or at least trying to.

A cold hand touched his shoulder, slender, icy fingers grabbing the collar of the olive green tunic he was wearing. Long, pointed nails scratched gently against his the now drum-tight skin of his neck, as his head whipped toward the stranger. He was met with two glowing amber eyes, edged in green and pupils occasionally flickering crimson. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he could see that it was a woman, her face slightly resembling the shape of a heart, with a pointed chin and eyes too large in proportion.

Underneath her eyes, red, swirling, tribal tattoos rested atop her prominent cheekbones, and when she smiled arrogantly at him, revealed the yellow, fang-like teeth that lay hidden behind her ruby-red lips.

He stiffened underneath her touch, and glared at the woman.

He tried to pull away from her, and gain his personal space yet again, but her grip remained firm on the collar, fingernails scratching a little harder when he tried to escape.

"What's the matter, boy?" she hissed, leaning in so close that her lips brushed against his ear. "Are you afraid?"

He set his eyes straight ahead of him, refusing to meet her gaze as she curled around him, trying to force him. When she stopped to stand directly in front of him, he closed his eyes, yet again refusing. He could hear her striding carefully around him, and flinched when her hand came to rest on the nape of his neck.

"Did you really think you could defeat me this easily? Did you think me a fool?"

An eerie silence followed, and a shiver involuntarily ran up his spine as he felt the woman's hand trail up the side of his neck, and she began to run her fingers along the edge of his notched ear.

A faint sound slowly worked its way into his mind. It was a strange sound, familiar, but too far away for him to recognize.

"Do you hear that?" the woman cooed mockingly in his ear, reaching up and playing with a few strands of his hair. He ignored her, keeping his eyes closed, trying to let his mind wander away. "Don't you want to see?"

The sound grew louder, and all of his weight suddenly dropped into his stomach, unknowingly sinking down a few inches. The color drained completely from his face as the sound became as clear as a bell and as familiar as the song of a bird.

Children.

_His _children. They were crying.

His eyes snapped open without a second thought, his heart jumping into his throat. Light blinded him, not having expected the brightness that flooded his unadjusted eyes. He blinked heavily, trying to regain his vision.

They were somehow, suddenly standing at the lowest point of a deep ravine. Rust colored walls boxed them in on either side, and the ground beneath them was dry and cracked, like it hadn't rained in years. The sky was a dull shade of gray, and yet there was not a cloud in the sky, puzzling him.

He wasn't allowed the time to ponder this though, for the entire world became unimportant as his sapphire blue eyes locked onto the two crumpled shapes about thirty feet away.

Kara and Rinku were sitting on the ground, the little girl hiding her face against her knees, and sobbing as if her heart had literally been shattered. Rinku still had his face visible, and slowly, tears dripping from his cheeks as well, he rubbed Kara's back.

Then he noticed why they were both crying, and he felt like he was going to collapse. A few feet past them, Jack, McKenna, Malon and a dark haired man he did not recognize were lying, dead, on the ground.

"Did you not see this coming? How foolish!" The woman laughed, loudly into his ear. Completely out of instinct, and a bit startled, Link spun around, reaching toward his belt. A few seconds later he realized there was no sword strapped there, as his hands grabbed repeatedly at thin air.

Giving a slight, inhuman snarl, teeth flashing, the woman leapt at him, pushing him to the ground and slamming her knee forcefully into his gut. He gasped as her knee threatened to crush his organs, and his head was knocked painfully against the hard, parched ground.

The woman withdrew her knee, and instead knelt on his chest, sneering at his startled face.

She drew a long, jagged-edged dagger from a sheath attached to her lower calf, and pressed it firm against the skin of his neck.

"Now, what should I do with you? Maybe I'll just slit your throat, that's probably the simplest way," she mused, moving the dagger away from his neck, and instead resting it on his chest, sharpened tip pressing vertical over his heart. "But certainly not the most painful."

She looked straight out over him, amber, green and red eyes clouding over in thought. Slowly, her lips curled into a malicious, insane grin as an idea seemed to strike her.

"I know! How about I cut your heart clean out?"

She jabbed her dagger down, plunging it directly into his heart…

* * *

><p>"Boy! Wake up! You've overslept!"<p>

Link woke suddenly, letting out a surprised growl when a steel-toed boot connected with his ribs. He sidled away from the looming figure of Zepora, and rose with a shuddering sigh, his ribs protesting quite loudly in the his ears. It had all been a dream...right?

'That's going to leave a mark.' He thought ruefully, absently rubbing a hand to the injured side as Zepora scoffed impatiently.

"You overslept, and if you don't hurry, we're all going to be late!" he growled exasperatedly, making extravagant, exaggerated motions with his calloused hands. "Go saddle those damned horses! And be snappy about it!"

He jumped quickly away before the angered little man could take another swipe, and strode away from the skimpy pile of straw he had been allowed to sleep on. His bones creaked softly as he walked the first few steps. It had been a long time since he hadn't had a bed to sleep on, over six years if his timekeeping was accurate. And the fact that he was quickly nearing thirty didn't help either.

Down the stable isle, three horses groggily swung their heads over their stall doors at the ruckus, two of them being the horses that had pulled the carriage. The other was obviously a stallion, gray in color, with a rich black mane that hung well down to his chest and an expressive, angular face, on which his shocking, electric blue eyes peered toward him, as if daring him to make a move.

"Have fun with that one! Might want to count your fingers after you saddle him!" Zepora barked, leaving the barn with a quick jerk to his step.

Watching the shorter man leave, he took a breath before moving down the isle, remaining completely silent as he approached the stallion. The gray stallion gave a warning toss of his head as he approached, and when Link reached for the stall door, the stallion lunged, teeth snapping.

The horse's teeth snapped down on the skin of his arm, and clamped down, painfully threatening to crush his bones. But he stood completely still, looking into the stallion's aggressive blue eyes.

"Calm down," he whispered. "I'm not going to hurt you."

The stallion's jaw loosened slightly, before pulling away, backing deep into the stall. He unlatched the door, swinging it quietly open and stepping inside.

"Easy now, everything's alright." He reached out, making sure not to flinch as the stallion half-heartedly snapped again, but did not actually bite. Moments later, his fingers brushed against the stallion's smooth, silkily furred muzzle.

"You're alright."

* * *

><p>Fifteen minutes later, he exited the stable with a smooth smirk on his face as the three horses followed behind. He struggled desperately to hold in a laugh when Zepora yelped, not expecting him to saddle the horses so easily, or to escape with all of his fingers, and Mistress Eshana's angular features for the first time curled into a look that almost resembled respect, as the stallion's reins were silently passed to her hand.<p>

Zepora forcefully ripped the reins of the two older mares' out of his hands, eliciting startled snorts from the horses as the were drug away from the calmer, friendlier man. He watched, slightly sad for the horses, as the short, and short-tempered man swung onto one, immediately striking it with a crop, and the gargantuan brute of Gepora swung onto the other.

"Boy, get a move on! You're going to make us get behind schedule!" Zepora snapped, urging his horse into a shaky trot.

With a roll of his eyes, Link started out at a run, catching up quickly with the three horses as they trotted away from the mountain Smithy, and down the grassy hillside that served as the main flow of travel back toward the heart of Termina.

The path wound through a thick mountain forest, the trees being so tall one had to crane one's head back to see the tops. It was a dark forest, thick bows clouding out most of the sun, only the brightest rays breaking through the thickly needled branches and dappling the mossy ground beneath their feet. The horses hooves made very little sound on the soft ground, and left large round indentions in the moss as they walked.

To the left side, Link suddenly threw his head to the side when a strange sound caught his interest. It sounded like the rustling of a bush, and then a mumbling, a curse uttered under someone's breath.

In this moment of inattention, the horses had abruptly stopped, and it was the best he could to swing his arms wide in an attempt to stop himself before he bumped into one of their haunches.

Mistress Eshana was sitting perfectly still atop her stallion, looking at the forked road ahead as if she could see everything, and yet nothing at all, while Zepora had his nose buried in a map. Gepora just sat there, useless, with his hulking arms limp at his sides.

He looked at the path behind him, the open field still faintly visible if he looked at the right angle. He glanced back toward the group, now Zepora and Gepora were arguing over which path to take, Zepora's voice cutting through the air like a knife, while Gepora's voice smothered that of the smaller man.

They were completely ignoring him.

He could make a run for it.

The very thought sent his heart rate spiraling. He could get away. He could be free again. But what pushed his heart rate even higher was the thought that he'd actually see Malon and the kids again.

He stole a final glance at the group, and then started quietly back up path they had just come down.

"Psst-!"

He stopped short, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. He whipped his head again toward the left. The roadside brambles rustled, and then a hand appeared, making a beckoning motion again and again.

"Psst-! Boy! Over here!"

Link looked toward the group again, and then made his way over to the bush. He choked back a cry when another hand shot out from the brambles, and both hands grabbed him by the shirt. He was dragged into the bushes.

The hands belonged to a shorter man, with a comical, narrowed eyed look on his otherwise bony face. His honey-brown hair was combed carefully to one side, and his eyes seldom opened, as his grip remained firm on Link's shirt.

Finally letting go, the strange little man began to wring his hands, rubbing his palms together in an obsessive manner. He was back was hunched over, nearly bent in half by the humongous pack on his back, strewn across the back of the pack, a wide array of strange, tribe-like masks hung.

Some resembled those of animals, like pigs, or frogs, or rabbits. And yet others resembled nothing he had ever seen, like one of the masks, red, with black, spiraling marks underneath where one would peer through.

He stood there awkwardly as the shorter man looked him over from head to toe.

"Uh-?" He said softly, reaching up with one hand and rubbing the back of his neck. The strange little man, who waved a finger at him, shaking his head vigorously, quickly shushed him, preventing him from speaking any further.

"No, no, don't pollute the air with meaningless jabber," he chirped in a singsong kind of voice, high and slightly feminine. His face quickly fell to be more somber and slightly grim, however, as his barely-open eyes came to rest on the swirling black tattoo that stood, dominant on the skin of his neck. "You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?"

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><p><strong>K'ger: Welp, there you go, the last single digit chapter! Next one is #10! So to celebrate that I've made it that far, and that it was around this time in SIG that I did this, <span>I"M HAVING ANOTHER CONTEST!<span>**

**Yet again, its going to be a Zelda Trivia contest, and whoever gets it right gets to design an OC.**

**Here are the rules.**

**Answer in a review or PM, either way works for me.**

**Find the answer in any way works for you, after all, I can't see you!**

**If you enter, you must be open to PM-ing, that's how I'm going to get the info I need!**

**This contest ends on Monday February 1st.**

**First place: Design an OC for Stay With Me.**

**Second place: A shout out!**

**Here's the question:**

**In Twilight Princess, what Sage did Ganondorf kill before he was banished to the Twilight Realm?**

**Have fun!**


	10. Horsemen & Delivery Statements

**K'ger: And now, to announce the winner of the trivia contest! (yes, I know its early, but no one's participating anyway, so there!)**

**The winner is...**

***Drumroll!***

**Courage of Awesome! Her character will be appearing in the next chapter! I can't wait! Thank you very much for reading, reviewing, fav-ing and being a very nice person! You don't know how much your support has meant recently!**

**Second place goes to Link'sLily, who didn't know the answer, but actually responded, unlike everyone else! Everyone should check out her stories! They're all great!**

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><p>Horsemen &amp; Delivery Statements<p>

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><p>"Is there any way I can help?" Malon asked, padding gently down the stairs of her brother-in-law's house. Cyrus, brown-haired and as gentle-faced as an old deer, looked up from his pile of paperwork, dark bags under his eyes being extenuated by the dim, flickering candlelight.<p>

He sighed, putting his quill back into the bottle of ink, and leaned back in his wooden chair, head lolling back limply.

"I don't know. That damned mayor of Clock Town extended the city limits, so now our taxes are double, if not triple, of what they used to be, and our horses have both gone lame, so I can't even deliver enough milk to pay for a quarter of it!"

She looked out of one of the windows, and watched as Epona, Cerus and the filly, sadly still unnamed, all grazed in the new morning sunlight, flicking their tails occasionally in the new morning dew.

"We could deliver it." She said softly, not turning to look at Cyrus. As it turned out, her voice had been too low for his tired ears to hear.

"What?" He asked, leaning his head to one side to look at her. She turned away from the window, a determined look on her face.

"We can deliver the milk. Epona is strong and healthy, and it would help make a little money, right?" She said, louder, enthusiasm slowly working into her tone for the first time since she had set foot on her sister's property.

Cyrus sat up a little straighter in his chair, and looked at her with a curious glint to his eyes, obviously thinking over her proposition. They both fell silent, Malon returning her gaze to the window, and Cyrus leaning back toward the paperwork, reaching for the quill.

The quiet scratching sound of pen against paper came yet again from his desk, and, although she had her head toward the window, Malon occasionally stole a glance at her brother-in-law. It seemed like an hour before his paperwork was complete, and he finally stood from his chair. The sun had risen up further, shadows creeping quickly out of sight as the light flooded down on the grassy hill.

She started slightly when his hand came to rest on her shoulder, and when she looked toward him, saw a strangely optimistic look on his face.

"That'd be a huge help." He whispered before walking away, tiredly up the stairs toward his bedroom…

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><p>Kara and Rinku bounded down the stairs, fits of giggles music to Malon's ears as she planned the trip. It would take around a day both ways, with time to drop off the milk, collect the payment, and a special stop on the way that she had decided was necessary. She looked up from the delivery paper, and watched as both children raced down the last few steps and dashed, barefoot, across the hardwood floors toward her.<p>

"Mommy!" Kara cried, scrabbling onto her lap and looking at her excitedly. "Mommy, can we come with you on the trip?"

Malon's smile softened slightly.

"Well, I don't think so, at least not this time, I think you'd be better off here with your Uncle Cyrus and Romani."

Kara and Rinku's faces fell dramatically upon her words, disappointment evident in their eyes.

"But Mommy! We wanna see Clock Town!" The little girl insisted, lips curling into an upset pout. Malon ruffled Kara's hair softly, and placed her on the floor so that she could stand up.

"We can take a special trip later, ok?"

"Promise?"

A gentle smile tugged at Malon's lips as the little girl stubbornly insisted on what she wanted. Just like her father.

"Promise."

Kara looked a little happier at the thought, and relinquished her mother from her begging, taking her little brother by the hand and practically dragging him toward where the few toys they had brought with them were kept, in a bag near the door.

They, in truth, didn't have many toys as it was. Link and Malon were, by no means, rich. They made enough to keep food on the table, clothes on their backs' and taxes paid, but that just about exhausted their funds, making the purchase of less necessary items a rare occasion. However, Link being the man he was, couldn't stand for his children being under cared for, and had come up with a, as he called it, "genius solution" to their predicament.

He made the toys himself. As it turned out, he had a hidden talent for woodworking, and with a few leftover pieces of firewood he had managed to scrape together, he had crafted the toys they cherished, and insisted they bring with them.

She folded the paperwork Cyrus had given her, stuffing it carefully with a crinkling of paper into a small leather satchel and smoothed her dress, sighing with slight nerves and anticipation of her trip. She had a very good reason for wanting not to bring Kara and Rinku with her, and that very reason was making her nervous.

A few mere moments later, Jack and McKenna came plodding tiredly down the stairs, Jack with his arm draped over McKenna's shoulders and her leaning against him, as if using him for support. Jack's hair was heavily mussed, sticking up in gravity-defying ways, and as Malon looked closer at his face, saw a faint glistening on his lower lip and chin, obviously having drooled in his sleep. McKenna was just as bad. Her hair was tangled in a rats' nest of brown strands, and underneath her eyes, large black half-moons were swept across her usually porcelain-like skin.

"Good, you two are up. Its time to get going." Malon said, approaching them. The couple stopped short when her words sank in, and bewildered looks curled across their features.

"…Go? Go where?" Jack questioned in a groggy, half-asleep voice. McKenna yawned against him, and rubbed a hand over her eyes, trying to clear her vision of the sleepy blurriness.

"We're delivering milk to Clock Town for Cyrus." She answered, heading toward the front door. Turning the doorknob, she was just about to step outside when Jack made another incomprehensible sound.

"W-why are we delivering it? Shouldn't that be, oh, I don't know, Cyrus's job?"

She stopped short, and turned to look at him.

"Because both of his horses are unhealthy, and Epona is the only one who can pull a wagon right now." And with that, she strode out of the house.

The sun had risen even further into the sky, but that didn't change the fact that a strange, foreboding aura was worming into the back of her mind as she walked across the grass, heading for the barn where Cyrus was hitching Epona to a small wagon.

It was a strange feeling. Something wasn't right, something she couldn't place. And then she realized what was wrong. There was no wind. The air was completely still, as if time itself had stopped, and one was walking through a thick, cloying mist.

Epona gave a slight shake of her head as Malon approached, the harness that were slung over her thick frame clinking as the metal buckles bumped against her. Once she reached the mare, she ran a hand over her thick, velvety brown muzzle, gentle fingers lacing trough the mare's white mane.

"She's all set." Cyrus said from behind the wagon, obviously hefting a crate of milk bottles into the cart, as it shuddered slightly.

She walked around the wagon, to see as her brother-in-law lifted yet another crate into the wagon. She peered inside, seeing that there were ten crates in total. Near the front, there was just enough space for Jack and McKenna to ride.

"Ok, so, you have two stops to make," he started, making a few gestures with his hands as she listened intently to his directions. "Eight of these crates are for the Milk Bar. Now, when you enter Clock Town, one of the guards is going to stop you. They're going to inspect the wagon, ask a couple of questions, and require a delivery statement. That's the paperwork I gave you. You'll need that to get in.

"After that, you're going to want to make an immediate right. That path will go on for about a quarter of a mile, then make a jog to the left. After that, you'll enter a wide plaza, the Milk Bar will be directly across from you. And also, when you're going through that narrow side street? Be careful. There're nasty thugs that hang out around there. They won't think twice about harassing a lady. You're going to want to talk to a man named Damos. He runs the bar. Tell him I sent you, he'll understand."

Malon took a breath. It was a lot to remember. _Paperwork. Right. Plaza. Thugs._

He then proceeded to interrupt her thoughts, continuing onward with his lecture. "Once you deliver the eight crates they've requested, your next stop is going to be further to the left. Go straight down that street until you see a small wooden sign that says, "Stock Pot Inn". They want the other two crates. Inside you'll meet a woman named Anju. Again, tell her I sent you."

He finally finished, and Malon sighed heavily, mind reeling with the huge amount of information she had just taken in.

"You got all that?"

She nodded half-heartedly, mind still processing, and walked around the wagon when she heard the front door to the farmhouse open.

Jack and McKenna walked out into the dreary sunlight, dressed and ready to leave. When they reached the wagon, Jack wordlessly helped McKenna into the back, and followed closely behind, giving a slightly bored sigh as he sat down beside her and looked at Malon with a perturbed glare.

"What is that look for?" Malon asked, pulling herself into the front seat of the wagon and taking Epona's reins in both hands. She gave a final wave to Cyrus, and flicked the reins against Epona's back softly, urging her forward with a click of her tongue.

The wagon shuddered forward as the mare began to walk, slowly, carefully down the path.

"I don't see why we're doing this. I was looking forward to a day where I didn't have to worry about who's where and when and how."

Malon shook her head softly, and looked at the scenery around her. If she looked carefully, it almost looked like s if color itself had been drained from the world, like a painting left out in the sun too long. The world almost looked sick, like it was suffering from a terminal illness.

"You do for family, Jack. Someday, when you have kids, you'll understand."

She didn't look over her shoulder at her two companions, but if she had, she would have seen the rosy-pink color that dusted over both of their cheeks, although McKenna's blush was decidedly darker.

Jack noticed this, as the wagon rattled through the narrow valley that served as the only way in and out of the ranch, and leaned over so that her could look her directly in the eyes, a curious glint in his own deep green orbs as he took her chin into the palm of his hand.

"McKenna?" he questioned, watching with slight concern as she looked away from him, squirming underneath his intent gaze. "Is something wrong?"

"N-no. Of course not, um, why do you ask?" She responded coyly, still not meeting his eyes.

When he was about to venture further, she interrupted him.

"Um, Jack? What is that?"

She pointed toward the rear of the cart. He followed her gaze, and his muscles immediately stiffened, completely out of instinct, when his eyes came to rest on the figures of two horses and two riders following about a hundred yards behind them.

The horses were massive, easily as large as Epona, with coats of pure white, and heavily ornate bridles and saddles attached to their heads, thick, muscular chests and backs. Atop them, two thick men were seated, thick swatches of what looked to be burlap concealed their faces.

"Mal? No need to worry, but…Can this wagon go any faster?" McKenna asked, eyes completely focused on the two riders, watching as the men spurred the massive steeds into wild gallops. Malon gave a slight, nerve-wracked tilt of her head, eyes narrowing with worry.

"What's wrong?" She asked, keeping her attention on Epona.

"Well, I'd say that we have a couple of mean looking guests. Might want to speed things up a little bit." Jack added, looking at the riders. In the corner of his eye, a swatch of red fabric caught his attention, as Malon called to Epona, flicking the reins again and urging the huge copper mare into a frenzied canter. He reached for the fabric, and his eyebrows rose subtly when his muscular fingers wrapped around a long wooden object.

He pulled the object into full sight, and a smooth smirk pulled at his lips. It was an elegantly carved bow, made of fine oak wood, with intricate tooling along the handle. The string was still in fit shape to be used, and as he lifted it, found that there was also a quiver full of arrows.

Ignoring the quiet protest that McKenna gave, he rose to his feet, steadying himself as the wagon rattled onward, and notched an arrow, pulling the string tight and listening as the bow creaked in his grip.

The riders were catching up, soon only mere feet away from the rear of the wagon. So close that even Malon could hear the distinct sound of a sword being pulled from its scabbard. Seconds later there was impact, the wagon shuddering greatly and threatening to throw Jack off his feet. In the back gate of the wagon, a large chunk had been smashed free, the rider on the left brandishing a curved sword.

Jack regained his footing quickly, drawing the bowstring even tighter, till his fingers touched against his cheek. The rider pulled his arm back, aiming another strike, this time urging his horse even faster, so that he was riding alongside the wagon, right next to McKenna. It felt like a rock had been dropped directly onto his gut as the man took a swing at McKenna with the sword.

He aimed, took a breath, and as he exhaled, let the arrow fly. It flew straight, and true, and buried into shoulder of the rider. He watched with a satisfied chortle as the rider he had hit pulled back on his horse's reins, and gasped, holding a hand to where the arrow now protruded. The other rider reluctantly gave way, and pulled back as well, watching with an angry holler as the wagon hurriedly rounded a bend and disappeared.

Malon kept Epona at the swift pace for another few minutes, making sure that the pursuers had fallen behind before allowing the mare to catch her second wind, slowing to an easy, rhythmic walk. Once she was sure that Epona was on course, she let the reins fall from her hands, and turned sideways in her seat, giving Jack and McKenna a wide eyed look.

"What on Hylia's green earth was that?" She asked, slightly breathless. McKenna shook her head, complexion pale and skin pasty, and Jack dropped the bow, letting it fall to the floor as he slumped to his knees, a few beads of sweat clinging to his forehead.

"M-McKenna? Are you ok? He didn't get you, did he?" He asked in a hoarse whisper. She shook her head, apparently to stunned to use her voice, and for the next few minutes, not a one of them said a word, merely listening to the gentle clop of Epona's hooves.

As the rounded yet another bend, and the path widened out into an expanse of tall, untrimmed yellow grass, the looming silhouette of Clock Town quickly came into view, and Epona instinctually followed the dirt path that snaked between the rolling hills between them and the city, and approached the enormous stone walls that served as protection and control of those who lived within.

The southern gate was open, the two iron doors that were locked at night pushed as far in either direction as they could go. Leaning, slumped, with his head lolling forward in a doze, was a soldier. Across his leather-clad chest, the insignia of an elk mid-stride was embroidered with golden thread, and in both hands, he loosely gripped the pole of a spear.

He started awake when Epona's hooves came onto the cobbles, clattering, and the bumped over the rough, unfinished curb, the glass milk bottles shaking inside their crates. He looked around a few times, snapping his mind into motion, before his tired, watered-down blue eyes came into full focus.

"State your names and business." He said in a bored, monotone voice, looking at the wagon as it stopped with half-open lids. Jack leapt easily from the wagon, landing with a resounding thud in front of the soldier, startling him.

"Name's Jack," he laughed, thumbing his nose and jerking it toward the wagon. "And those two're McKenna and Malon."

The soldier looked at McKenna and Malon for a moment, and then returned his tired gaze to Jack.

"And what business do you have here?"

Jack rolled his eyes. "To deliver milk, duh. Can't you see the crates?"

His attitude seemed to take the soldier by surprise, and as the soldier did a double take, Jack laughed in a confidant tone, jumping back up into the wagon, muttering under his breath, "Dummy."

The soldier walked stiffly over to the side of the wagon, shooting Jack a glare as he inspected the crates, underneath the wagon, and the harnesses that attached Epona to the cart. He yelped when he came around front of Epona, and the mare lunged, snapping at his wrist and causing him to bolt back to the safety of the wall he had previously been leaning on.

"I guess everything looks alright, but I'm going to have to ask for a delivery statement. You do have a delivery statement, don't you?"

Hearing this, Malon gave a soft sound of recognition, and fumbled with the satchel that was still slung over her shoulder. Well, it had been slung over her shoulder. Now there was nothing more than an empty space beside her on the seat.

_Oh you've got to be kidding me._

She looked back toward Jack and McKenna, giving them a look that quickly turned to panic. If she thought back to when the two unknown horsemen had pursued them, she could vaguely remember the wind catching hold of her, a sudden burst pushing her hair into her eyes and blocking her vision. After that, her shoulder had suddenly felt lighter.

_Crap._

She turned back to the impatiently waiting soldier, a toothy, sheepish grin plastering across her face. He groaned, letting his head fall back, and slapped a hand against his forehead.

"Ma'am, I can't let you in without a delivery statement." He moaned, upset of having his time wasted. Malon took a breath, steadying herself, and then put on the most feminine, sultry look she could manage with a straight face.

"Sir, can't you maybe…bend the rules? Just this once? It's only a shipment of milk." She whispered, leaning toward him a little. His face immediately lost its look of boredom, being quickly replaced by utter shock. He stepped back, bumping up against the wall, skin going pale as she lowered her eyelashes.

"I-I really don't think that's something I can do M-Miss!" He stuttered, leaning harder against the wall. Malon scooted over in the seat, so that she was as close as she could get to the soldier. She ran a hand through her hair, and tilted her head down, so that she was looking up through her thick lashes.

"Are you sure? It's just one shipment." She said in a seductive pout. He sighed heavily, letting his head this time droop forward, and he pushed a hand toward the open gate.

"Yeah, fine. Go."

Malon immediately perked up, eyes opening fully again, and she winked at him as she gathered up Epona's reins, urging the mare onward with a simple word of thanks to the soldier in a friendly, everyday manner, as if her previous act had never even happened. Even the soldier started to wonder if the whole incident had been real, or just one of his dreams.

Jack and McKenna rode silently behind her, occasionally stealing dumbfounded glances at one another. Finally, as Epona followed her instructions to start down a narrow side street, it was Jack who broke the silence.

"What the hell was that?" He asked. Malon laughed softly, a gentle chuckle that barely escaped her throat as she flicked her hair.

"What? I can't persuade someone with what I've got?" She asked slyly over her shoulder. Jack squirmed unsurely from her question, looking to McKenna, who only giggled.

"Well, I mean-! You're a married woman! You don't think Link wouldn't have been upset from that little display?"

"I think that if Link was here, he would have gotten us in by his own way of persuasion."

Not even Epona noticed as two people stealthily after their wagon, feet making not a single sound on the cobblestones. They stopped near one of the dark alleyways, and greeted another person with slight nods.

"Let's go, we'll cut them off at the crossroads..."


	11. The Great Kan

**K'ger: Ok, just a couple of quick notes here:**

**#1. In this chapter, the section of Italics is a flashback.**

**#2. I've had an idea I want to test out, where I make a playlist for a chapter that you can use as a guide to listen to as you read. Obviously none of you have to do it, its up to you, but for me, music really effects me when I read, so this is just kinda something I'll try, so you can get a feel for the chapter like I do, since I listen to music when I write.**

**Dare Mo Inai Ryouriten (The Empty Restaurant) From Spirited Away.**

**Eto (Land of The Impure) From Princess Mononoke.**

**Tabidachi Nishi E (Journey to The West) Another From Princess Mononoke.**

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><p>The Great Kan<p>

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><p>Smoke. The thin, acrid scent wafted into Benji's nose, waking him from a clinging, uncomfortable sleep. He sat up groggily, and his breath hitched when he started to yawn. His lungs felt like they were on fire, like there were a thousand tiny knives ripping at his insides. He clutched a hand over his chest and tried to smooth out his breathing, tried to breath without the pain. It was useless. They pain clung to his chest like a persistent cough.<p>

Moments later, a thought hit him, and his head jerked around in confusion. He was alive. The last thing he remembered was the sensation of harsh, salty water filling his lungs and lulling him into unconsciousness.

After his eyes adjusted to the borderline blinding sunlight, he looked around. He was sitting on a wood plank surface, with low walls made of the same material about three feet in either direction. And then he realized what he was on. He was on a boat.

Deep, Prussian blue water sloshed at either side of the small, narrow boat, occasionally hitting it with enough force to spill over the side, and come close to soaking him completely. Toward the east, faintly in the distance, he could see a glimmer of yellow and green, what he presumed to be the shoreline. It was at least ten miles away.

Not long after realizing that he was on a boat, his stomach seemed to take that as a queue to become upset. His empty stomach slowly began to ache as he sat there, dumbfounded and unsure of what to do. And as the boat continued more toward the west, toward the endless ocean on the horizon, it slowly worsened until he felt like he was going to throw up.

He had never been one for boat travel.

The nauseous ache quickly became too much, and he it was all he could do to scrabble shakily, hands and knees to the wall, leaning, prostrate over the edge. Nothing came up, and after a few seconds, dry heaves wracked his body, making his body shudder as pitiful moans escaped his throat.

It took him several minutes more for the dry heaves to subside, and as he moaned over the low edge, his head started to pound, a severe headache taking the place of his nausea, making the veins in his forehead pulse. He imagined this was what it was like to suffer a hangover.

When he finally managed to regain control of his body, a voice spoke behind him, making him stiffen from head-to-toe.

"Can't handle a little sea travel, boy?" The voice snorted. He weakly turned his head, and found himself staring up into the cold amber eyes of a woman. Her skin was a dark, caramel-tan from hours of work in the sun, and over her chest, she wore a tight wrapping of light, emerald green. Her baggy pants shared the same hue. The way her eyes glinted gave him a bad feeling.

"Well, don't worry, you won't be on the water for too much longer," she said softly, turning and heading toward the front of the boat, were another woman like her was rowing. Had she just tried to reassure him? Maybe these people weren't so bad. "Nah, soon enough you'll be underneath it."

His eyes widened again. They were going to throw him overboard? Why would they save him from drowning, only to throw him overboard?

He looked around even more frantically as another thought came to mind. Annalise. _Had they saved her too?_ His stomach plummeted as he failed to find her. _Oh gods, had he let her drown?_ He had let her drown. He had let her drown!

He slumped back, slouching over. He had let his baby sister drown. He had flubbed his mother's only wish. He had let his baby sister drown.

* * *

><p><em>"<em>_No!" He screamed, voice ringing eerily through the old, dark hallways. He ran toward the tall, looming silhouettes that stood outside his mother's bedroom. Their heads swiveled toward him, and they put out their hands to stop him, but he refused to give way, and pushed past them, feet pounding on the wooden floorboards. He flew through the door, and stopped short._

_It was true. His father hadn't lied. Next to the long unused bed that so many years ago his mother had read him stories in, and allowed him to sleep in next to her soothing warmth when a nightmare had wracked his young body or a storm woke him from his slumber, was a coffin._

_He tenderly stepped closer to the coffin, catching a glimpse of black hair much like his own and a smooth, caring face permanently set into the expression of sleep. He could feel his heart start to break._

_"__Benji!" A smaller, younger voice called from somewhere further down the hallways. He could barely hear her, over the thrum of blood in his ears. He merely stood there, unable to move, unable to speak, unable to think, staring into the face of death._

_"__Benji-! Help-!" The girl screamed this time, fear dripping from her voice. He was snapped back into reality, and like a machine, eyes locked into a blank stare, he turned from his mother's casket and strode out of the room, down the hallway, down a set of stairs, and into the foyer of his father's mansion. His childhood home._

_There his father stood, looming over the crumpled shape of a young girl._

_Annalise._

_His father's head jerked up upon his entrance, and an evil grin plastered across his lips. He callously stepped over Anna without a second glance, and stormed toward him, overtaking him in an instant. His breath was thick, and hot, and smelled cloyingly like alcohol. His father grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, hefting him a few inches into the air, until only his toes touched the ground._

_"'__s all yer fault," his father slurred, a few droplets of saliva flying and landing on his face. "If it weren't for you damn kids, she never would've left."_

_Pain flushed through his body as he was suddenly, violently thrown against a wall, his father slamming against his body with a barbaric cry. _

_"__Daddy! Leave him alone-!" Annalise's voice came from behind the brutal shape of his father. His father let him fall to the floor, sides screaming silently in pain. He could tell that he had cracked several ribs, as an all-consuming pain burned through his sides, abdomen and chest. He looked up, and saw that Annalise had risen to her own feet, and was staring up at their father, a mixture of fear and anger swirling in her green eyes. There was a strange metallic sound as their father fiddled with something attached to his belt._

_Annalise backed away, and realized a second too late what the sound had been. Benji surged to his feet, recklessly throwing himself in front of Annalise, and he let loose a cry as the blade of a rusted knife plunged into his shoulder._

_His sister screamed as he dropped to his knees, the knife being ripped from his shoulder with a splatter of his own blood. _

_Their father was about to lunge at Annalise, knife poised, when a strange sound came from her. It sounded slightly like the growl of a wolf, one that had been cornered. From the floor, he could hear another sound, like a scuffle, and then their father fell to the floor beside him. It took only a single look to tell that he was dead, only one look to know that Annalise had done it._

_With a large amount of effort, he stood, and faced his sister. Her eyes had clouded over, turning a milky blue with whitened pupils, blank and unfocused, as if she was blind. But she obviously could see him, as she backed away a few feet._

_Seconds later, she bolted, pushing past him and racing out of the house. He followed after her, decidedly slower in pace, and just caught a glimpse of her escaping into the darkened forest that bordered the estate…_

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><p>The wagon clattered onward, down the dark, narrow side street as Malon watched her surroundings carefully. She could feel something was off. Something wasn't right. It felt like she was being watched.<p>

About thirty feet away, she could see that the path was widening out into a large cobblestone plaza. She sighed in relief at the sight of sunlight, as the wagon drew nearer to the open space. And then she saw it. A single human shape was standing directly in her path. The sunlight was too bright behind the person, making it impossible to make out their facial features or whether they were man or woman.

She urged Epona to continue toward the person as the mare showed some anxiety, pulling her head up, ears turning to lie flat against her neck and giving a nervous shake of her head.

"Go on, girl. It's fine." She whispered, not believing her own words. Jack stood up in the back of the wagon again when he noticed the person, and he reached for the bow again as another person came into sight, moving to stand beside the first. And then another.

Soon there were probably ten of them standing in their way, and as Epona came to a stop mere feet from the first person. Their eyes adjusted to the sunlight, and started to make out the features of the people standing there.

It was a mixed group, perhaps a few more men than women, all of them wearing dark clothing regardless of their sex. The one standing in front of the group was the tallest, with jet-black hair that was wild and unkempt. His eyes were bright green, with flecks of silver swirling within the emerald orbs. His clothes were like the rest of them, dark black, but with a different style. His shirt was long sleeved, with a few cuts in the fabric, while his pants were slightly tighter than the cargo styled pants the rest of them wore, with several pockets on the front and back.

Around his waist, a sash of dark blue fabric was tied, and a bandanna of the same color was tied about his neck.

She definitely didn't like the look of him.

He looked at her curiously, and then moved slightly to the side, eyes meeting those of Jack and McKenna, staring, without a trace of fear, as Jack notched an arrow.

"Who are you?" Malon asked cautiously, pretending to be calm, willing her heart to slow down from the racing beat it was at. The man smirked at Jack, and returned his gaze to her.

"Me? I'm the Great Kan…"

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><p>She loved the smell of salt water. She had no idea why. There was just something about it, the way it felt on her skin, the way it tasted on her lips. She had only been to the ocean once before in her life, when she had been very small, but the experience had stayed with her all her life.<p>

And now here she stood, on the fine white sand of the western beaches. Smiling as a breeze caught hold of her long black hair and sent it billowing, she leaned down and removed her simple leather shoes, to stand barefoot in the sand.

And then she walked, leaving her shoes behind as she strolled, leisurely, along the shoreline.

She walked for close to an hour, just enjoying the warmth of the sunlight on her skin and the feeling of the sand beneath her feet, shifting and ever changing in shape, never coming back to be in the same position again. But as she walked, something strange in shape came into view, far down the shoreline. She raised a hand, shielding her eyes from the sun to get a better look. And as she approached, she realized what the shape was.

It was a human. A small girl, probably close to twelve years old. She way lying crumpled on the shore, just out of the water's grasp. She dropped to her knees, and quickly pressed a hand to the girl's neck. There was a very faint pulse that bumped against her fingers.

She was alive.

Looking to the little girl's side, she saw foot prints, strange ones, ones that didn't belong to a human, leading out of the water, around her body, and then back into the ocean. Her only guess could be a Zora.

After being dragged further up the beach, almost as if on queue, her eyes fluttered open.

The girl looked up at her in pure confusion.

"W-who are you?" The girl asked, tone shaking with fear.

"My name's Charise. What's yours?"

The girl looked at her for a moment more.

"M-my name is Annalise," she looked toward the ocean, looking around as if lost. "Benji? Where's Benji?"

She jumped shakily to her feet, racing back toward the water's edge. Charise ran after her, and grabbed her by the arm before she could plunge into it.

"Hey-!" she gasped. "What are you, crazy? You don't just jump into the ocean!"

Annalise jerked her arm out of her grip, and looked at her as if she was a demon, clutching a hand over where she had been grabbed. It was almost like she had been burned by her touch.

"Who's Benji?" She asked the girl, starting to question the girl's sanity. But the girl didn't answer, she looked almost like she was going to cry, tears starting to form in the corners of her eyes. After a few moments, she merely sank down to a crouch, hiding her face against her knees.

Here she had been, enjoying her first foray of freedom since she had been a little girl, and now she was left with a decision. Leave the girl like she very well wanted to do and continue on her jaunt, or try and help the (possibly insane) little girl find whoever Benji was.

_If it was you, wouldn't you want help?_ Her mind reasoned. She let her head droop slightly. _Damn her conscience._

"Hey," she whispered, leaning down and reaching out to rub her back. The little girl shied away, giving her a glare. "Don't worry, I'll help you find Benji…"

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><p><strong>K'ger: Now I have really important business to attend to.<strong>

**I want to give special, incredibly grateful thanks to Link'sLily. You've done so much for me in the past, and now you're teaching me even more...I just can't thank you enough! You're so nice, I owe you big time! I think to pay you back I'll make you another drawing for According to Legend. Oh, and everyone! read her story! Its great, the characters are so well done, and its so well written I can _see_ everything taking place! She needs more readers people!**

**And did everyone like Courage of Awesome's character, Kan? Don't worry, this is just the beginning, his character is going to be fleshed out more in the next chapter. I like him, he's gonna be a great character!**


	12. Crimson Eyes

**Ok, nothin' to say here except there is an announcement at the end of this chapter. Please take the time to read it. Also, sorry for the late night updating. I've been super busy the past few days, so this is the only free time I've got. I apologize for any spelling or grammar issues. I'll proofread again tomorrow or the next day. Thank you for putting up with me.**

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><p>Crimson Eyes<p>

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><p>"…I'm the Great Kan." The man said, watching Malon intently, as if scrutinizing every inch of her face. One of the other people walked up to him, leaning toward his ear and whispering something just low enough so that they couldn't hear<p>

There was a moment of discussion between the two of them, before Kan returned his attention to Malon.

"Ma'am, what brings you to this neck of the woods?" He asked in a low rumble of a voice, giving Malon a strange feeling in the back of her neck. It was a strange tingle, a dash of distrust and foreboding slowly worming into the back of her mind. And yet, his voice also had a sincere note to it, one that eased the tightness in the muscles of her neck.

It was utterly confusing.

Was it his voice that had made her uncomfortable? Or was there another reason?

She glanced discreetly to the side, look toward the back of the wagon and beyond. Just beyond a curve in the road, where the ramshackle houses obscured her view, she could hear something like the familiar clatter of hooves. Two, maybe three horses were approaching them, perhaps unaware of the blocked passage, or perhaps with peaked interests as to the cause.

Regardless, two massive horses rounded the bend, lifting the giant hooves high into the air, sending the thick white feathering around their hocks flying with every stride. Both had rich ebony coats that glowed a faint purple in the bright morning sunlight, like a ravens' feathers, with thick swatches of white splattered over their bodies as if paint had been haphazardly flung at them from afar. And their manes completed the picture, hanging well past their chests and flowing gracefully with their smooth movements.

Subtly, her jaw loosened slightly, and her eyes widened as she recognized the horses' breed as one of the rarest in the region. Gypsy Vanners.

The two horses came to a halt about ten feet from the back of their wagon, ears flicking between them and their riders.

One horse carried two people, a man and a woman, both dark-haired, with young, vital faces and bright eyes. The other horse bore a single woman. Older than the other two, with her chocolate-hued hair hanging in thick waves around her matured, gently etched features, framing her face. A silken blue scarf was wrapped around back of her head, keeping her hair neat and coming in front to be clasped in place by a small amethyst pendant. Atop her liquid silver eyes, a spread of thick green paint rested, giving her a dusky, graceful appearance.

Their clothes were unusual, brightly colored, with layers of lace, gauze and veils of light, see-through fabric wrapped around the two women's shoulders and waists.

They were obviously foreigners.

Malon suddenly found her attention drawn back to Kan as he made a disgruntled sound from in front of the wagon, a low, guttural rumble rising from his throat.

With an easy swing of her legs, the woman sprang from her horse's back, sandaled feet thumping ever so softly on the cobbles. Moments later, the other two dismounted as well, coming up to stand on either side of her, arms crossed, and jaws set into grim lines.

Kan's gaze met the woman's, silver-flecked green eyes narrowing to nothing more than dangerous slits. The woman lifted her chin slightly in a defiant gesture, eyelids lowering slightly and a disgusted smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

"Kan." She hissed in a silken voice, not unclenching her jaw, speaking through gritted teeth. Kan swallowed slightly, discreetly, and tightened his already balled-up fists till his knuckles went white.

"Fala." He spat in return.

Each stared deviously at the other, ignoring Malon, Jack and McKenna, gripped in a fierce battle of wills as neither of them dared to back down. The two horses that the strangers rode stood perfectly still, without being restrained, but gave the occasionally flick of a tail or muffled snort. Epona sensed them, and shifted in her harnesses, swiveling her head around to see, whinnying once or twice, conversing with the beasts in her own tongue.

Another, younger man stepped out of the group behind Kan, to stand at his side, setting a wide stance and drawing a knife from a scabbard at his lower calf, snarling lightly from behind his thin lips. As Malon looked at him, she guessed that he was about Link's age, perhaps a few years older at most.

His hair was a dark auburn, hanging messily in front of his honey-brown eyes. His clothes were almost identical to Kan's, except for the sash about his waist, red in color, contrasting to the deep ocean blue that the older man wore.

"You dare step in our territory, Fala?" Kan said icily, cocking one eyebrow, waiting for a response. He received none. "What's the matter? Slave trading not paying the bills? Or have you finally given up on that ridiculous profession?"

Fala brazenly yawned before him, first putting her fingers to her lips, then reaching back and up, stretching her muscles, still not answering him. She smirked when the young man standing beside him gave a low growl of frustration, tightening his grip on the knife and muscles twitching, threatening to charge her. She laughed in response, watching his face turn from tired frustration to a fierce rage.

He started toward her, passing Kan, but only making it a few feet before the older man grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, holding him back.

"Remus, calm yourself," he whispered harshly, never moving his gaze from Fala's silver eyes, daring her to break contact. "This is not your fight."

The young man turned his head.

"But father, she-!" Kan cut him off, pulling him back even further so the he was once again behind him.

"I said it's not your fight, now back down."

The rough, commanding tone of his voice obviously went straight to Remus' head, and his demeanor visibly turned steely and reserved, his jaw clamping shut with a subtle snap and the flames in his honey-brown eyes dying out instantaneously. He backed toward the group like a dog with his tail between his legs, head dipped out of shame and respect to Kan, mingling back into the crowd and disappearing among the many faces that were glaring toward Fala.

Epona shook her body, pushing herself forward a few feet, startling the group, forcing their attention back toward Malon, Jack and McKenna.

"We don't have time for this, let those three go." Kan ordered, beckoning with a hand for this group to move aside. They obeyed without question, parting and allowing Epona enough room to safely pass, and pull the wagon through with her.

Malon looked into the back of the wagon, doubt clouding her blue eyes, looking to Jack and McKenna for their opinions. Jack kept his arrow firmly notched, although he had moved the tip so that it was pointed toward the floor of the wagon, but ready to be shot if necessary. He shrugged wordlessly, and McKenna did the same, a puzzled look on her young face.

Malon looked back toward Epona, and flicked the reins, urging her forward. She steered the mare easily through the small crowd, and headed in the direction that they had been going before the strange group had stopped them.

Why had they stopped them in the first place? They hadn't stolen anything, so what was the purpose? Did they change their minds' at the last moment? Or had it all been a trick?

Terminians were apparently very different from Hylians, both in appearances, and thought processes.

They reached the Milk Bar within minutes after they escaped the group. It was a small, ramshackle place. In the weathered thatch roof, there were several large, gaping holes, were one could see straight through to the support beams that had been laid when the building first had been built. Rust-colored paint was pealing from the brick walls in massive curls, dried out and made frail by countless years in the harsh sun.

And even at their current distance, twenty feet or more, she could already hear the rowdy customers howling with raucous laughter and furious yelps from those who had had too many drinks for their own good.

If there was one thing Malon disliked more than the monsters that tried to harm her livestock on occasion, it was drunken men.

She wasn't allowed the time to brood on that, however, as the wagon pulled to a stop just past the entrance. She took a breath to steady her nerves, and dismounted the wagon. Jack and McKenna followed, and with a few whispers, it was decided that Jack would escort Malon inside to talk to the owner, while McKenna stayed outside and watched the delivery.

She grasped the doorknob, breathe becoming slightly shallower as her nerves began to get the better of her.

Seconds later, Jack took the lead, gently pushing past her and taking the doorknob into his own hand, opening it without hesitation. The musky scent of alcohol flooded out, quickly filling both of their noses. The door opened immediately to a set of stairs, leading down into the main area of the bar, where, as her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, the crowds of customers were gathered. It was twice as loud inside than it had been outside, booming laughs echoing against the walls.

The door swung shut behind her, forcing a yelp from her as she shot down a few steps in her startled rush. She even passed Jack, and after stopping, she glanced nervously over her shoulder, looking at him. His mouth was open slightly, as if he was about to retort or make a snappy comment, but if he had, it died on his tongue, and he merely closed his mouth, one eyebrow lowering slightly as he started down the stairs again. Not making a single comment on her outburst.

For some reason, his reaction made her feel even more uncomfortable. She had been expecting him to chide her, make a ridiculously hurtful comment as if it was normal, or just be, well, him. But he had somehow held his own tongue, and for the first time since she had met him, kept his mouth shut.

Maybe there was something in the water.

She shook her head as they continued down the stairs, reaching the bottom after about a dozen steps. She followed closely, almost clingingly close, to Jack as he shouldered through the droves of rowdy men. She tried not to look at them as she passed, sighing inwardly in relief as they reached the bar.

The man at the bar was neither tall, nor short, only a few inches taller than her, with ink-black hair that had been swept to one side of his thick head. His eyes were only half open, and under them, large black half-moons dragged his skin down. Jack practically towered over him, and had to lean over, putting one elbow on the counter, to meet the man's gaze. Apparently, the man did not feel like tipping his head back, or even looking up.

"Hello, good sir," Jack said in a forced tone of enthusiasm. "Would you happen to be the owner?"

The man –or rather the owner- merely nodded half-heartedly, grabbing one of the dirty cups on the counter and taking an equally dirty rag to it. When it failed to clean the cup, he made a frustrated noise, and proceeded to spit into the glass, making Malon cringe.

"We're here with your milk delivery. Cyrus sent us."

The name of his milk supplier caused the man's ears to prick, and his eyes moved up, his chin even lifting a little.

"Cyrus sent you? Why couldn't he make it?" He asked in a suspicious tone, looking them over. The color drained from his face as his eyes came to rest completely on Malon, and he looked at her as though he had seen a ghost.

"C-Cremia?!"

Malon's head jerked up, and she met his eyes. For a moment she didn't understand, but then she closed her eyes, realization hitting her at last.

"Y-you died!"

She shook her head, a few strands of her hair falling in front of her eyes as she opened them again.

"My name is Malon. She's –oh. She was my sister."

He looked at her for a moment more, before he seemed to believe her, nodding softly and returning his attention to the glass he was trying to clean.

Jack talked with him for a few more minutes before motioning for her to follow, leading her back through the group of men. She kept her gaze firmly on the floor, not daring to meet any of their eyes. But with her attention on her feet, she didn't see as one of the men cut her off from Jack, stopping in her path.

She looked up, breath stopping for a moment and heart hammering against her ribcage. She instinctively clutched her hands over her heart. He was tall. At least as tall as Jack, if not taller, with hair the shade of a moonless night and bright white teeth. But his eyes were what truly frightened her. Not their shape, or even the way they seemed to taunt her, the way they glinted with malice. It was their color.

Red. A sickening crimson the shade of freshly spilt blood.

He was a shadow.

She backed away slowly, but found herself bumping up against the crowds of other men. They didn't part the way for her like they did for Jack, leaving her trapped. She looked at his face, scanning his features, trying to place them. But she couldn't. She had never seen his face before. A slight glimmer of stupidly placed hope died.

She had hoped that he was Dark. If he had been Dark, then that would at least mean that Link was alive.

But he wasn't. He was a good deal younger, in his early twenties, with a rounder face, and less muscle through his chest. He smirked at her, putting one hand on his hip and using the other to comb through his greasy black locks, flashing her a suave, toothy grin.

"Malon?!" Jack's voice cut through the din of the bar, like music to her ears. She breathed a sigh of relief, but still kept a wary eye on the shadow. She gasped, eyes widening, as he lunged suddenly at her, grabbing her wrist and hefting it high above her head, actually dragging her a few inches off of her heels, until only her toes touched the floor. He leaned closer to her, and took a breath. Then he jerked his head away, toward the frenetic group.

"Hey, boys! Come look what I found!" He called in a voice like poison. Two other shadows filled out of the group to stand beside him, looking at her with equally malicious stares.

"I think I just found our blackmail…"

* * *

><p>"…You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?" The strange little man chirped, pointing a finger at the swirling black tattoo on his neck. He reached up and ran his fingers over the skin, grimacing at the thought of the ugly black marks that would be with him for the rest of his life, giving the public a false representation of his character.<p>

He sighed deeply, but then stopped short. He could see his breath. A light gray plume mist stood in the air in front of his face, slowly dissipating into thin air. It was then that he realized that the temperature had dropped. It had suddenly become very cold. Freezing in fact.

Wearing only a light cotton shirt and trousers, the cold seeped through the thin fabric, chilling him quickly. He gasped without thought to how loud he was being, and rubbed his hands across his arms, trying to warm them.

Why had it suddenly become so cold? It was the middle of freaking summer for the Goddesses' sake! It felt like mid-winter against his skin.

Looking up, it only confused him more. Frost was quickly gathering on the needles of every tree in the thicket, turning the once dark green colored foliage to first an olive green, then icy white, small particles of the frozen water building up on the grasses, bushes and leaves.

"What the hell?" He breathed, looked even further up, toward the small patches of sky that he could see.

The once bright, cerulean blue had turned completely gray, and as he stared up in shock, realized that small flakes of sparkling white snow were drifting lazily down, and soon began to patter against his face.

He looked back to the strange little man, hoping for an explanation. The little man only shrugged, eyes still remaining half-closed.

Link shuddered, and gave a loud cry of shock and disgust as someone grabbed him from behind, and was dragged forcefully through the brambles to face Zepora, Gepora and Mistress Eshana.

"Thought you were going to ditch us, did you?" Zepora spat, smirking as he struggled against Gepora's gargantuan hands.

"Let me go!" Link snarled, suddenly biting into one of Gepora's fat fingers, grimacing against the taste of dirt and iron. The giant howled in pain, releasing him out of instinct, and he took his chance. He bolted, dashing past the bush he had been dragged through and going down the left fork in the road.

But even with the subtle glance he made, he had to do a double take as he ran. The strange little man was gone. He wasn't there. But he had to move on. He bolted, ignoring the sound of a horse's hooves pounding after him.

He ran as hard as his legs could go, his heart pumping, a rush of blood thrumming in his ears. He dove around a bend in the road, emerging from the thicket of fir trees and coming upon the grassy plateau that the mountain village had been built on.

But the mountain village was gone. It had completely disappeared, and in its place, a towering mountain covered in snow loomed.

That hadn't been there before.

As he stood there, slightly entranced by the massive mountain that had seemingly appeared out of thin air, a voice carried by the wind whispered in his ear.

_"__I'm waiting for you, deity. If you're man enough, come and prove it…"_

* * *

><p><strong><em>I hope every one likes this chapter, and here I have an announcement: I've got the plot pretty much firmed up, still a few things I'm straightening out, but were getting there, its a process. But, in the last few chapters, it was getting confusing for me, the author, with all the things going on and such, so I've made a decision.<em>**

**_I'm cutting this story into parts. This chapter marks the end of part one, which I'm titling "Denial". (I've also put the part title on the first chapter for new readers.)_**

**_The next chapter will be chapter 13, the first chapter of Part 2. Now, parts are going to focus on individual groups, instead of switching between them INSIDE of chapters, so that its easier to understand since everyone is in different places at the same time._**

**_Hope this makes a little more sense._**

**_Also, just a side note here, anyone have any guesses as to which Anime character I've based Remus' character off of? He's an important character, and he'll appear a lot, so you'll probably guess later._**

**_You know the drill, R&R. Feedback keeps me writing! Seriously, it does! So review my minions!_**


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